Lucas hadn't said much to Peyton on the way back to Tree Hill. After telling her that something had happened to Brooke and they had to get back as soon as possible, he'd slipped into a silence that she was afraid to break. Peyton worried about Brooke, but she couldn't help that a small part of her was worried about her and Lucas too. She didn't know what would be considered normal in a situation like this, but the fact that he hadn't talked to her at all didn't bode well.

"Luke, do you want to talk about it?" she asked tentatively.

Lucas shook his head. "I shouldn't have left her."

His words hit her hard. "Brooke?"

"Yeah," he said, shifting in his seat and looking at Peyton. "She just lost Angie and she's going through so much with Victoria…she needed us, Peyton."

Peyton nodded and bit her lip. "I didn't even think about it," she told him honestly. "I was so happy that we were finally going to be together that that's all I thought about."

"It's my fault," he said, taking her hand. "I'm the one that called you. I should have thought about the timing, planned it a little better."

"You couldn't have known something like this would happen," she said.

Lucas winced. "Even without the attack, I should have known better. Brooke is always there for us. We should have been there for her."

Peyton nodded. "We'll be there for her now." Lucas smiled sadly and looked back out the window. "What?" she asked him softly. "What is it?"

"Nathan was really shook up the last time I talked to him," Lucas said, not looking at her.

"Why?" Peyton asked, shocked.

"It's bad," he told her. He glanced at her, and then looked back out the window, unable to meet her eyes. "Brooke's in bad shape."

Peyton took a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked after a moment.

"Because I didn't know if I could say it out loud or not," he told her. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window. Every time he thought about Brooke lying broken in a hospital bed he felt as if his heart was ripping apart. Nathan had updated him on her condition, and when his brother had broken down into tears Lucas had had to block out the rest of what the man was saying. He would take care of her when he got there; until then, he was going to try to keep the images in his head from making him crazy.

"Who could have done this?" Peyton wondered aloud, still horrified at the idea of anyone attacking her best friend.

"She hasn't talked to the police yet," he said. "She hasn't talked to anyone."

"Maybe she'll talk to me," Peyton said.

"I hope so," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Will we be able to see her?"

"Nathan said that she can have one visitor at a time."

Peyton heard a hint of something in his voice. "You can go in first," she told him.

Lucas's eyes quickly rose to meet hers. "What?"

"I know how worried you are, Luke. You can go in first while I talk to Nathan and Haley."

Lucas shook his head. "Peyton…"

Peyton smiled brightly. "No, it's okay. I'm sure she'll want to see you."

"She'll want to see you, too."

"And she will," Peyton told him. She kissed his cheek. "I know that you're blaming yourself, even though this isn't your fault. And I know that you're going to keep doing it until you can assure yourself that she's okay. So I want you to see her first."

Lucas nodded. "I do love you, you know."

"I know," she told him, still smiling. She hoped he didn't see the lie in her eyes.

When they finally reached the hospital, they went to the room Nathan had told them Brooke was in. "Lucas!" Haley said, running to him.

Lucas caught her and hugged her tightly. "Haley," he said, closing his eyes. "How is she?"

Haley pulled back and wiped a tear from her face. "She's going to be okay. You know how tough Brooke is."

Lucas nodded grimly. "Nathan in with her?"

Haley nodded. "I just came out."

"I'm going to go in," Lucas told her.

Haley wrapped her arm around Peyton. "Luke," she called, stopping him. He turned to look at her. "She's going to be okay. Just remember that, okay?"

"Does she look that bad?" Peyton asked as he left, choked.

Haley ran her hand through her hair. "I couldn't even tell it was Brooke," she said finally.

Peyton took several deep breaths. Haley led her over to some chairs and sat down, pulling Peyton down too. "Lucas and I are here, if you two need to go get Jamie," Peyton told her when she'd calmed down a little.

Haley shook her head. "We're okay for right now. I don't think I could make Nathan leave, even if I wanted to. Mouth almost had to carry Millie out."

"Have there been a lot of people here?" Peyton asked.

"You know how things go in Tree Hill; news travels fast," Haley said, nodding. "And everyone loves Brooke."

"That's why I can't believe this happened to her," Peyton said. "Has anyone found out anything about the attack?"

Haley shook her head. "No."

"Maybe Lucas can."

Lucas walked into Brooke's room, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Hey," he said to Nathan, who was sitting beside the bed with his head in his hands.

"Lucas," Nathan said, getting up and walking to his brother. Nathan hugged him, but Lucas's eyes were on the bed. In the dark room he couldn't see her, but he could almost feel her pain from where he was standing.

"Thank you," Lucas told the other man.

Nathan shook his head. "I keep telling myself that I should have done something to stop this, but then I remember that I have no idea what happened." His fists tightened at his sides. "When I find out who did this, I'll kill him."

"There's a line for that," Lucas told him.

Nathan nodded. "I'll leave you two," he said. "I don't think she's awake, but I've been talking to her anyway."

Lucas nodded and watched Nathan leave the room. He took a deep breath and walked to the bed. In the soft glow of the dimmed bedside light he saw her face. "Brooke," he said quietly, doubling over slightly as if he'd been struck. "Oh, baby, what did he do to you?"

Brooke's eyes opened slightly. "Lucas?"

"I'm here," he said, taking her hand. "I'm here, pretty girl."

His words struck a chord deep within her, mending something that had been broken. "I didn't want you to come," she said. "I didn't want to get in the way of your time with Peyton." Lucas shook his head, his eyes moving down her face and to the visible bruises on her neck and arms. He swallowed, unable to respond. "Luke?"

He wanted to kill someone. He wanted to scream, to destroy something. That any man dared put his hands on her like this, to hurt her like this, filled him with a rage he'd never known. "Are you okay?" he asked brokenly, not trying to hide his tears. "Are you going to be okay, Brooke?"

"I'm better now that you're here," she told him, lightly squeezing his hand. "Lay with me?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"It's going to hurt anyway."

Lucas nodded. He understood…and he needed to hold her. He needed to put his arms around her and shield her from the rest of the world. He wanted to protect her from what had already happened. He slowly lowered himself onto the bed, moving around the monitors and cords surrounding her. She gingerly lifted her head and he put his arm under it.

"What happened?" he asked her softly, looking into her eyes. "Who did this?"

"I don't know," she told him. "I was at the store and he came in so fast…" her breathing became labored and she closed her eyes. "And then he was on top of me, hitting me and screaming at me."

"It's okay," he told her, gently moving her hair from her face. "He won't hurt you again."

She looked at him. "Promise?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"I promise," he told her fiercely. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again."

Brooke sighed. "But I'm not yours to protect."

Lucas shook his head. "No matter where either of us are or who we're with, you'll always be mine, Brooke," he told her softly.

Shocked, she looked into his eyes. "Luke, you shouldn't say things like that."

He made a face. "I know that to you I'm like a friend or a brother, and maybe that's all I was ever supposed to be. But no matter what I am to you, I'm going to protect you. You're important to me."

Brooke remained silent, not knowing what to say. He thought she looked at him as a brother? She must be a better actress than she'd ever given herself credit for. They sat quietly together, each lost in their own thoughts, until Peyton knocked lightly on the door.

She inwardly flinched at the sight of Lucas holding Brooke, but she pushed the worry back. Now wasn't the time to think about things like that. "Hey," she said softly, coming into the room. "I didn't mean to cut in on your time," she told Lucas. "I just had to see her."

"I'm sorry," Lucas said, motioning her towards the bed. "I knew you needed to see her, I just forgot."

Peyton walked over to the bed and looked at her friend. "Brooke," she said, her voice shaking. Haley had been right; she looked nothing like herself. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, Peyton," Brooke told her, wincing as she moved her head to look up at her friend. "I didn't want you guys to come back for this."

Peyton took Brooke's hand, still looking at the marks on her body. "Brooke…who did this to you?"

"I don't know," Brooke said. "I never saw his face."

Lucas kissed Brooke's forehead lightly. "I'll let you guys talk for a few minutes," he said. "If you need me, just call for me."

Peyton and Brooke watched as he left the room. "Did you guys get married?" Brooke asked.

Peyton shook her head, sitting beside the bed. "No, we were going to go later."

Brooke sighed. "I'm so sorry, Peyton. I know you finally got what you've always wanted and I ruined it."

"No, Brooke," Peyton told her. "This is not your fault. And Lucas and I can get married here, with our friends and family. After you're better, of course." She smiled. "I can't have my maid of honor looking like she went three rounds with Mike Tyson."

"I'm going to ignore that insult because you asked me to be your maid of honor," Brooke told her, her eyes closing.

"We'll find out who did this," Peyton promised her. "And he'll pay."

Brooke nodded slightly, her entire body still sending shocks of agony to her brain. "I know I didn't want to tell you guys…but I'm glad you're all here."

"We love you," Peyton told her. "Everyone does."

"Except Victoria," Brooke said bitterly.

"Even Victoria," Peyton told her, though she actually doubted it. That's not what Brooke needed to hear right now.

They talked for a few moments longer and Brooke drifted off to sleep. Peyton stood and went to the bathroom, shutting the door before she began sobbing. It physically hurt her to see Brooke this way. And she was mad…oh Lord, she was mad. Whoever did this to her friend was going to pay.

She washed her face and walked quietly through the room, opening the door to find Lucas, Haley and Nathan sitting in the chairs across from it. "How is she?" Haley asked.

"She's sleeping," Peyton told them, going to Lucas as he stood and held his hands out. He hugged her tightly.

"You two must be exhausted," Haley told them. "You can go home and get some rest. We'll stay here with her."

"Thanks," Peyton said at the same time Lucas said, "We're staying."

Lucas looked at her. "If you're tired, why don't you go home and get a little rest?"

"I don't want to leave you here," Peyton told him, knowing her argument was useless.

"I'll be fine," he told her. "I wouldn't be able to rest if I left anyway."

"Luke, if you're going to stay we'll leave and pick up Jamie," Haley said. Nathan started to protest and she shook her head. "We're exhausted too, Nathan," she told him.

Nathan sighed. "Peyton, why don't you just stay with us? It might be safer," he told her.

"Okay," Peyton said, looking back up at Lucas. "Try to get some rest, okay?"

Lucas nodded, kissing her. "I love you," he told her.

She smiled. "I love you, too," she said. She meant it with all her heart…a heart that was beginning to worry.

"Call us if anything changes," Nathan told Lucas.

"Will do," he told his brother. "Take care of Peyton."

Nathan nodded. "We will."

Lucas watched them leave, then went back into Brooke's room. Since she was sleeping, he sat beside the bed and watched her. He could barely tell it was Brooke when her eyes were closed; her face was so swollen and discolored she could have been anyone. But she wasn't anyone. She was Brooke…his Brooke. "I shouldn't have left you," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

As the sun rose, he continued to watch her, his lids growing heavy. Eventually his head fell back and he was asleep. He didn't dream, and he didn't rest; even in his sleep he was uneasy. When Brooke cried out, his head jerked up and he stood, ready to protect her. He'd been out longer than he'd thought; the sun was now up.

After a cursory look, he discovered that no one was in the room and Brooke was still asleep. She was obviously having a nightmare, and her cries pierced his heart. "Brooke," he said softly, sitting on the bed beside her. "Wake up."

Pulling back away from his voice, Brooke huddled against the rail on the hospital bed. Even in her sleep, she was frightened. "Brooke, please," he said, touching her shoulder lightly.

Brooke cried out again, her eyes finally opening. "Lucas?" she asked, breathing hard.

"It's me," he told her. "You were having a nightmare."

Her body seemed to relax as she put her hand over his on her shoulder. "Sorry," she said, seemingly embarrassed.

Lucas shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry," he told her. "You have reason to be scared." He sat on the edge of the bed. "But not when I'm here. I've got you."

Brooke wanted him to have her. She wanted Lucas to stand in front of her and protect her from the world. But she was stronger than that; she had to know she was able to protect herself. "I can't be weak, Luke," she said. "I can't be scared."

"Amazing," Lucas said, watching her with a frown.

"What?" she asked, sitting up a little.

"You're already pulling away from me."

"I'm not pulling away from you," she said defensively. "All my life, I've only had one person I could really count on, and that's me." She shrugged lightly, then winced at the pain the movement caused her. "That's not going to change now."

"You have me, Brooke. You have Peyton, too. And Haley and Nathan, Mouth, Mille…we're all here for you."

Brooke looked away from him. "Peyton has you, Lucas. And you have her. Nathan and Haley have each other and so do Mouth and Millie." She looked back towards him. "I have me."

Lucas shook his head. "Look at me," he told her. Brooke lifted her eyes, meeting his. "You have me, Brooke," he told her again. "I'm going to be here for you."

"I know you believe that now," she said softly. "But you've said it before."

Lucas made a face. "I've always tried to be here for you," he told her. "You always push me away."

"Maybe," she said tiredly.

"There's no maybe," he said. "It's the truth. At Haley's and Nathan's wedding, you asked me why I never let you all the way in."

Brooke closed her eyes and put her head down on the pillow. "That was so long ago," she told him. "There's no point in discussing it now." And it had been long ago…but the pain of that day was still with her. She remembered her anger with Peyton and the sadness she felt when she'd realized she was going to have to give Lucas up- again. It hadn't been fair then, and it didn't feel fair now.

"There is," he said. "You said I never let you in, but that wasn't true. You were the one that kept things locked in, Brooke. You were the one that never let me all the way in." Brooke shook her head, opening her eyes to look up at him. "I felt it from that moment. You were never going to let me in again." He sighed. "And you haven't."

"We've been friends," she told him. "You helped me with Angie."

"It's not the same thing," he said, frustrated. He rubbed his face with his hand. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment. "Now isn't the time for this."

"There will never be a time for this, Luke," she said quietly. "It's done. You're marrying Peyton and she's my best friend. I'm going to be happy for you both and I'm going to keep doing what I've always done; look out for myself."

"We'll make time for it," he told her, unwilling to let it go.

She closed her eyes again. "Did the nurse say when I can go home?"

"She said probably later today, but the doctor isn't happy about it. He wanted you to stay for another night."

"I know he did, but I don't want to. I want to be home."

Lucas nodded. "Whenever I've been in here, all I thought about was getting to go home."

Brooke smiled slightly. "We've spent too much time here," she said. "All of us have."

That was definitely true. "I know that you probably want to be alone, but Peyton and I will be there."

"No," Brooke said, looking up at him sharply. "No, that's fine. She can go stay at your house or something."

"We're not going to leave you alone, Brooke," he said firmly.

The idea of Lucas and Peyton sharing a bed in her house made her feel sick. "You can't," she told him. "Please, Luke? Just go home?"

Lucas stared up at the ceiling, shaking his head. "I want to be around in case you need me," he told her.

"I'll be fine," she told him. "Please don't stay over."

He looked back down at her. "You don't want me around at all?" he asked, wounded. "Honestly?"

Brooke realized that she'd hurt his feelings. "I do want you around," she told him. "But I think you and Peyton should start staying together, don't you? You're going to be married, after all. And you shouldn't both stay at my house because I'm sure you'll need your privacy, spend some time getting to know one another again- all of that stuff."

"The last thing I'm worried about is my privacy," he told her, confused. "Peyton and I have plenty of time to be together. But we don't know who attacked you or whether or not he knows where you live. You need someone there to protect you."

Brooke felt a chill race down her spine as she realized that the man who'd hurt her could find her and do it again. "Oh God," she said, putting her hand over her mouth. "Do you think he'll come back?"

Lucas realized his mistake. "I'm sorry," he told her, gently wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "I didn't think about what I was saying."

"But it's true," she said. "He could come to the house." She looked up at him. "You should take Peyton home with you. I don't want her getting hurt."

"Brooke," Lucas said, sighing. "I don't want either of you getting hurt. That's why I want to stay." He propped his chin on her head. "I'll sleep on the couch and make sure no one comes in. That way you'll both be safe."

Brooke almost sighed with relief. On the couch? She could handle that. "Okay," she told him, already feeling safer. "But just until it's safe."

He smiled, though she couldn't see it. "Just until it's safe."

Brooke thought about Victoria. The man who had attacked her had taken her sketches, so maybe she was already safe. But who knew what else Victoria might want? And what kind of mother did she have, that she could think these things were even possible? She knew the answer to that, though: a mother who didn't love her daughter. "Thank you," she said after a moment. "I know it can't be easy to love me."

Lucas pulled away and looked at her. "The hardest thing I've ever done in my life was trying not to love you," he told her, looking into her eyes. "I've never known anyone more universally loved than you, Brooke."

Brooke smiled a little, her gaze holding his. "You always say the right thing," she said.

"Not always," he said, his finger brushing lightly against her bruised cheek.

Peyton walked quietly into the room, afraid that she'd wake them. She saw them on the bed, Lucas whispering something to Brooke and caressing her face. She stood frozen, unsure of whether or not to move. She moved backwards slowly, then silently closed the door. She stood on the other side of it for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Of course Lucas loved Brooke; they'd been friends for as long as he and Peyton had. And Brooke was hurt. She needed comfort.

Peyton thought back to all of the times Lucas had comforted her and she felt a tug on her heart. No matter how much she loved Brooke and understood her friends need for help, she didn't want Lucas to be the one to give it to her. She was ashamed by her selfishness, especially when she thought about how Brooke had always volunteered Lucas to help Peyton in the past, only to have them hurt her in the end.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly on the door to let them know she was there. When she walked in, she pasted a smile on her face. "Hey!"

Lucas's hand had dropped but he didn't move from the bed. "Hey Peyton," he said, smiling at her.

"Peyton," Brooke said, also smiling. Brooke held out her hand and Peyton walked towards the bed, sitting on the edge of it. She felt like she must have been overreacting; Brooke and Lucas acted as if they had nothing to hide, and Peyton felt guilty for believing for a second otherwise.

"How are you Brooke?"

"Wanting to go home," Brooke told her.

"When do you get to leave?"

"The doctor wants her to stay for another night so he can monitor her, but she refuses," Lucas told Peyton. "You know Brooke."

Peyton smiled a little. She did know Brooke. "Maybe you should stay, Brooke."

"I'll be fine," Brooke assured her. "I just need to get home."

"I asked her if it was okay for me to stay at the house," Lucas told Peyton. "Until we find out who attacked her, I don't want to take a chance on either of you getting hurt."

Peyton nodded. "I was going to suggest that," she said. Now that she had Lucas back, spending time away from him was harder than she'd imagined it would be.

"Do you think he might show up at the house?" Brooke asked her.

Peyton shrugged. "Nathan and I discussed it last night. If the attack was just robbery, then he probably won't. If there was something else behind it, I'm not so sure."

Brooke automatically reached for Lucas's hand; in the past month, she'd reached for it more and more. And it had always been there. Rocking Angie, cooking something to eat, working on sketches…Lucas had been there with her, working beside her. Now he took her hand, squeezing it. It was as natural as breathing, and neither of them noticed the look that briefly crossed Peyton's face as she realized that. "The police will be here in a few minutes," Brooke told them. "Maybe they know more."

"We'll figure it out," Lucas told her. Brooke smiled at him, nodding.