A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews! And thanks to my awesome beta: Leeese!

Disclaimer: Only own Maddie Scott

Chapter Two

Trouble on the Horizon

The next morning, Lucas woke up abruptly to the sound of the alarm blaring out. He groaned sleepily as he reached out his hand to turn it off. After a few seconds of fumbling, trying to find the right button, he finally heard the alarm stop it's irritating noise. He then stretched out his arms and legs as he let out a yawn. Normally, he would be thrilled that it was Friday. However, he still had to work tomorrow and possibly train Ms. Davis.

He pushed back the covers, climbed out of bed and sleepily staggered towards his bathroom. He quickly took a shower and dressed before heading downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast for himself and Maddie. Usually, Maddie would have cereal, but Lucas wanted to make her something special today. And he knew exactly what meal would make her happy.

It wasn't long before he heard the sound of a small pair of footsteps coming down the stairs. He then heard squeals of delight as Maddie walked into the kitchen, still in her nightgown. "You're making French Toast?" she exclaimed happily.

Lucas nodded as Maddie quickly grabbed a seat at the table. He finished up with making their breakfast before he grabbed some plates from the cupboard. "Do you want some milk or apple juice?" he asked her as he put some of the toast on a plate. He then put a couple of other pieces on the second plate.

"Milk please," Maddie replied.

After getting Maddie settled with her breakfast, he prepared his own before joining her at the table. He started eating his breakfast when Maddie spoke. "Daddy, when does Grandma come back? I miss her," Maddie told him softly.

Lucas gave her a smile as he replied, "I know. I miss her too. But she will be back next week. I promise." Maddie let out a sigh in response. Lucas knew that she was still unhappy. So he tried to think of something to cheer her up. "Why don't we make it a movie night tonight? We can settle down and watch movies all night? I'll make homemade popcorn and I'll even buy us a couple of sodas on my way home from work. How does that sound?"

Maddie immediately perked up. She wasn't allowed to drink soda very often. And she loved it when they had movie nights. They didn't do them very often since Lucas always seemed tired from working. So it was really a special treat for Maddie to have a chance to spend time with him. "Can I pick out the movies now?" she asked eagerly.

Lucas laughed. "Why don't you finish eating your breakfast first?" he asked her.

It wasn't long before Maddie was at the movie cabinet in the family room and glancing through the movies that they had. Lucas had made sure that the family movies were away from the more grown-up movies. He knew she was way too young for anything other than children's movies. After all, she was only four.

As Lucas finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes, he looked at the time again. "Maddie, did you pick out a movie yet?" he called.

"Yes," she called back as she ran back into the kitchen.

She showed him the movie she picked out and he nodded his approval. "Ok, now why don't you head upstairs and get dressed? We have to get you to preschool before I head to the café," Lucas told her. Maddie made a face, but obeyed her father.

Lucas quickly wiped the table down before grabbing his phone from the charger. He then made sure he had his wallet and car keys and was relieved to see that he did. He then checked on Maddie to see if she was ready.

Lucas saw that Maddie was taking her good old time in getting ready. He smiled in amusement as he finally realized what she was doing. "Maddie, you want to stay home from school today, don't you?" he asked her softly.

Maddie nodded. "Yeah," she admitted.

Lucas sighed. Apparently, movie night wasn't enough for her. "I suppose you can stay home from preschool for one day."

Maddie smiled at him before leaping in his arms and hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she squealed happily.

Lucas laughed. "You're welcome," he replied as he gave her a kiss. "Now Daddy has to make a few phone calls. Then we'll go to the café, ok?" Maddie nodded and he knew that he could trust her to play by herself for a few moments.

A short while later, Lucas and Maddie arrived at the café. Maddie started to help him get the place prepared including turning the sign around at the door. It wasn't long before the customers started to fill up the place. Maddie then helped bring the customers their orders. Everyone thought she was so sweet and helpful to do that. She also went on the small little stage and sang for the customers.

Lucas was cooking at the stove when he felt a tap on the shoulder. He jumped as he saw Haley standing there. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that," he said annoyed. "Especially when a guy has hot food near him. The last thing I want to do is burn myself."

Haley laughed. "I'm sorry. I just came by to see if you would let me tell Brooke the good news about her job. I think a phone call would be too impersonal."

Lucas looked at her with a slight frown. "How do you know she got the job when I haven't even called her yet?"

Before Haley could answer, they heard a small voice. "Hi Aunt Haley," Maddie said happily.

Haley looked at her niece as she tried not to act surprised. "Hey Maddie. What are you doing here? I thought you would have been at preschool."

"Daddy told me that I could stay with him today," Maddie replied with a smile.

Haley raised her eyebrows as she turned to Lucas. "Really?"

Lucas gave her a sheepish grin. "Why don't you go play, Maddie? Aunt Haley and I need to talk."

"Ok Daddy," Maddie replied before disappearing into the other room.

Haley gave Lucas a sympathetic look. "Wow, Maddie must really miss you if you felt the need to have her play hooky today."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I'll miss that when she enters first grade." He then knew that Haley wanted to get back to the subject of Brooke. "And this is why I'm going to hire Ms. Davis." He couldn't help but laugh as Haley gave him a wide smile. "I'm going to swallow my pride and have her help out with the café so I can spend more time with my daughter."

"Thanks Luke," Haley replied gratefully as she smiled. "It really means a lot to me. And I know Brooke will appreciate it too." She started to leave when she turned back to him. "I'm going to go and tell her. That way, you don't have to rely on child labor for help."

"Remember that it is just a trial run. Nothing is guaranteed yet," Lucas reminded her as he shook his head at her teasing.

"It will be," Haley told him confidently before she left the café.

Haley knocked on the front door and she heard Brooke yell permission for her to come in. She walked in and was surprised to see how many unpacked boxes that were lying around. She frowned as she went through the foyer, calling her friend's name. "Brooke, where are you?"

"I'm in the kitchen," Brooke called back.

Haley did her best to make a path so she could get to the kitchen. It seemed like forever before she was able to reach her destination, where Brooke was eating a bag of chips. Haley gave her a smile as she noticed that the kitchen was just as chaotic as the living room. However, she managed not to ask her new friend about the mess until after they exchanged greetings with each other. "What's with all the boxes? I thought you would have unpacked by now."

Brooke was silent for a few moments as she decided how to word what she was going to say. Haley knew that there was something bothering her. "I've actually been thinking about moving back to New York." Haley was surprised. She knew that Brooke had grown up in New York. But she didn't think she would move back there because of the issues with her parents. "My girlfriend Rachel is looking for a roommate and I told her that I might be interested," she told her. "And I would rather run into my so-called parents than my estranged husband right now."

Haley frowned. "I thought he lived in Charlotte?" she asked her confused. She thought she remembered Brooke telling her that she used to live in Charlotte before she moved to Tree Hill. "What makes you think he will come here?"

Brooke nodded as she said, "He does, but his whore of a girlfriend used to live here. So who knows if she ever will want to stop by and visit? And I really don't think Mr. Scott would want to lose your customers at the café."

Haley laughed softly. "So you think you got the job then?" she asked her. She wanted to burst out the good news, but she decided to wait.

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know. Your brother-in-law seems nice. But I don't know if I should work there considering my condition."

Haley knew that she was talking about her pregnancy. "It's only temporary until my mother-in-law comes back from her trip," she told her. "And we'll just kick the whore's ass out if she does decide to show up. What's her name anyway? I want to remember it if she ever stops by the café."

"Her name's Peyton Sawyer," Brooke replied as she pulled a face. She didn't even notice the shocked look on Haley's face as she continued. "And she's kind of hard to miss with that snobby attitude of hers."

Haley couldn't believe what she had just heard. "I have to go," she said suddenly. She hurried towards the front door and Brooke followed her feeling confused about the sudden change in Haley's demeanor. "The job is yours if you want it. And don't worry about Peyton. She's not welcome here," she promised her before she left the apartment.

She waited until she was in her car before pulling out her cell-phone. She dialed her office's number and waited until her secretary Renee answered the phone. "Could you cancel the rest of my lessons for today? I hate to disappoint my students, but something has come up."

"Of course," Renee replied. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Haley had to think for a moment. "Yes, call Lucas and tell him that I need him to pick up Jamie for me from preschool this afternoon," she told her. She knew that she wouldn't be back in time to pick him up. And she knew that Lucas wouldn't mind picking him up since she had just picked up Maddie for him yesterday.

"Alright, I will get on it right away," Renee promised.

"Thanks, Renee," Haley said gratefully before she said good-bye. She then hung up the phone and threw it onto the passenger seat. She pulled away from the curb and quickly headed down the street. She hated leaving Brooke the way that she did, but she knew that she needed to talk to somebody about this. She knew she couldn't tell Lucas because he would flip out on her. She decided to head to the high school to talk to her husband.

When she arrived at the school, she was told that Nathan was in his office. So she headed to the gym. A few minutes later, she reached her destination. She watched and smiled as Nathan talked to himself about basketball strategies. She knocked on the open door and he jumped, before he looked at her. "Haley, you scared me."

Haley laughed. "I seem to have that effect on the Scott men today. Am I interrupting anything?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, I always have time for my beautiful wife. What's up?" he asked her as he gave her a wide smile.

"Well, I just came from my friend Brooke's apartment," Haley replied. She then paused for a moment as she tried to think of the right words to say. "And I found out something shocking about Julian Baker's mistress."

Nathan gave her a confused look. "What? He got both of them pregnant?" he asked her with a laugh.

"God, I hope not," she muttered before she turned back to her husband. She tried to think of something that would be a good hint. "No, but she is going to complicate our family's lives if she comes back to Tree Hill."

Nathan was still lost. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked her in a confused tone. He hated when his wife was being vague about an answer.

Haley decided to just go right out and say it. "You know about that bitch that Julian cheated on Brooke with?" she asked him. Nathan nodded. "She happens to be the same bitch that left Lucas and Maddie four years ago." Nathan could only stare at her open mouthed as her words registered.