AN: Hi! Here's the second chapter, I hope you all like it :) Thank you so much for reviewing/following/favouriting this story by the way, I appreciate it so much!
II.
Lucas has always liked the quiet at the River Court at night. He loves the idea of just him and the game as the evening falls. He's been there for a few hours, as the afternoon light changed into twilight and eventually into the darkness of the evening. It's only nine o'clock, but it's mid-October and the days are getting shorter.
The lights on the court are on, but the court itself is surrounded by darkness and somehow, it makes him feel as if the court is only there for him. Even after all those years, the River Court is still that one places that makes him feel completely at home and at peace.
He's aiming for the hoop for what seems the hundredth time when the quiet gets disturbed by footsteps and an excited, "Daddy!"
Lucas turns around, lets the basketball drop to the ground as his little girl runs towards her father, smiling widely when he picks her up and lifts her into the air. Lindsey steps onto the court as well, watching her ex-husband and their daughter. It seems as if Emily hasn't seen him in weeks, she clings to him and buries her head into the crook of his neck, but it's only been two days since the little girl saw her dad.
"Hey princess," He greets his daughter and she flashes him the sweetest of smiles before she lets her head rest against his shoulder again. "What are you doing here?" He asks then, looking at Lindsey. "She should be in bed."
Lindsey sighs, "I know that, Lucas. She couldn't sleep, kept asking for you. But we're going home soon, right baby girl?"
The girls nods at her mother, but clings just a little bit more to Lucas as she does so. He frowns at her before looking back up at Lindsey. "What's going on?"
He walks towards the picnic table next to the court with Emily in his arms, Lindsey trailing behind him. Lucas sits down with the girl, her little arms tightly around his neck, and waits for his ex-wife to sit down as well. He can hear Emily's breathing change and he knows she's fallen asleep. He doesn't understand why Lindsey told him she couldn't sleep, but now, she's fast asleep in under three minutes.
"Okay, why is Ems acting like she hasn't seen me in weeks?" Lucas asks Lindsey when she sits down. He knows his daughter loves him, but she usually doesn't cling to him like her life depends on it.
She runs a hand over her face before looking up at him with those big grey eyes of hers, "I think she overheard me on the phone."
"Yes?" He says, urging her to elaborate.
Lindsey takes a deep breath before she tells him the news she knows he won't be happy with. "I'm moving back to New York in two weeks."
"You what?" Lucas asks, his eyes wide as he tries to understand what she's telling him.
Lindsey moved to Tree Hill permanently after two years of dating. Only having stolen days or weekends together was annoying both of them and even when she could stay whole weeks in Tree Hill, it never seemed long enough. She was still able to keep her job as an editor though, mostly working from home. She'd go up to New York sometimes for meetings, but from then on her life was in Tree Hill with Lucas. After their divorce she had decided to stay, it being easier for all of them. She didn't want for Emily to have to leave Tree Hill and since it didn't matter much for her job the decision was quickly made.
"The company asked me to come back. I couldn't say no." She explains, her eyes travelling down to the sleeping form of her daughter. She knows things are going to change for Emily, but it didn't have to be a negative chance. Lots of children grow up in New York, her girl would be just fine.
Lucas shakes his head as he gets what this all means, "You're taking Emily with you, aren't you?"
"I can't leave her behind, Lucas." Lindsey says. "You'll still get to see her. You can come visit as much as you want, she can spend school holidays here. It doesn't have to change much."
"You're taking my daughter away, Linds! You can't do this."
She nods and pinches the bridge of her nose. Ever since Emily was born, she's been Lucas' everything. She knows there's nothing in his life that will ever be as important to him as their daughter. She doesn't want to take their girl away from him, but she really doesn't want to stay in Tree Hill either. Her company wants her back and to be honest, she really wants to go back as well. She's been feeling as if too many more days in the little town will suffocate her.
"I can't stay here any longer. Not just because of my job. Tree Hill is too small for me, Lucas." She tells him and she's not lying. She's loved living in Tree Hill, back when she and Lucas were still together and life in the small town was pretty amazing. But since they got divorced a little over a year ago now, she's been wondering what exactly is keeping her in a town that will never feel completely like home.
"I get that." Lucas nods because he does. Over the years he's seen enough people trading in Tree Hill for bigger places. "But you're not alone in this, Ems is my daughter too."
Lindsey nods again. They've always understood each other, even after their divorce. They just aren't always agreeing with each other. "New York isn't the other side of the world, Lucas. We'll figure something out." She assures him and gets up from her place. She doesn't want to talk about this now, she hadn't even meant to tell him tonight. She's only here because she couldn't get Emily in bed at all after she had picked up something about moving to New York.
Lucas gets up too and carefully places the little girl into Lindsey's waiting arms. "Can we talk about this some more tomorrow?" He asks before she starts walking away.
"Sure." She tells him, heading into the direction of her car. He trails a little behind her until she turns back to him and smiles politely, "See you, Luke." She says as he offers a small wave.
A minute later he's alone again at the old court. It's always been that one place that makes him feel completely at home and at peace, but he wonders just how he's supposed to feel at home and at peace in Tree Hill when his little girl is in New York.
.
The next morning he's strolling lazily through town, waving at some people he knows as he passes them from across the street. He's had an early practice with his team, but he's free for the rest of the morning now so he decided to take a walk to clear his head.
It shouldn't surprise him that the place he ends up at is Karen's Café.
He walks into the small place, smiling at some of the customers he recognizes. Haley greets him with a smile as well, already pouring his coffee before he has even sit down at the counter.
"You want something to eat as well?" She asks, putting down his cup in front of him.
He smiles gratefully at his best friend, welcoming the warm drink, and shakes his head. "I'm good, thanks. My mom here yet?"
Haley shakes her head before quickly helping out a girl with some napkins. "She's only getting here around noon. Said she's going to do some paperwork." She laughs and Lucas lets out a chuckle too.
Even after years of having a café Karen still hates to do the paperwork. She loves her café; hates the whole hassle that comes with it. At the same time though, she hates not doing it all herself. Haley's officially been her partner for three years now, but the times Karen has let Haley do some of the paperwork herself are countable on two hands, tops. Haley's not complaining, but she really wouldn't mind helping Karen out.
"Hey, you okay?" Haley asks then. He's looking down at his cup of coffee in his hands with an unreadable expression on his face. She looks at him worriedly and it's only when she lets her hand rest on his arm that he looks up at her.
He sighs a little, running a hand over his face before he meets his best friend's eyes. "Lindsey is moving to New York."
"Oh." She replies. It's a silly answer, but she's a little too surprised to say anything else. She knows Lindsey would've never moved to Tree Hill had it not been for love, but she honestly thought that she genuinely liked the small town now, that she really did love living here. "With Emily?"
Lucas nods, "Yeah, with Emily."
She gets now why he's sitting in front of her with that sombre face. "Can she do that? I mean, take Emily away just like that." She asks. She can't even imagine Emily not being close to her dad. She had always been a daddy's girl and ever since the divorce it seemed as if they had become even closer, both Lucas and Emily cherishing their time together now that they saw each other less.
"I don't know, Hales. I guess she needs my consent for taking Emily with her since we have shared custody, but what can I do?"
Haley sighs, trying to think of an solution. "Can't you just not give your consent?"
"And what? Take this all to court? I don't want to make this difficult for any of us. Especially not for Ems." He says. He's thought about it, fighting her decision to move, but really, where's that going to lead him? Lindsey's a good mom, he knows that, and he doesn't think there's a lot that the court will say. Besides, he really does understand her. She'd lived in the city until she met him and he knows the small town life isn't cut out for everyone. He remembers her complaints about always having the same restaurants to choose from, the same shops to go to. He really does get the appeal of the big city and he can't fault her for wanting to move back.
"What are your options then?"
"I don't know." He says again. "See Ems during school vacations, visit New York as much as I can." It's what Lindsey had suggested last night, but the more he thinks about it the more he starts hating the idea of only seeing his daughter every few months. Even every few weeks sounds too long.
It had taken a while to get used to spending less time with Emily after the divorce. He knew that he and Lindsey had made the right decision when they split up, but it was hard not being able to have dinner every night with his daughter, or not being there every night to tuck her into bed. But they figured out a good settlement and Emily spend every other week at Lucas', the other weeks at Lindsey's. She had a room at both houses and both Lucas and Lindsey had made sure that both houses still felt like home to the little girl.
It hadn't been easy in the beginning, but they figured it all out eventually and a year after the divorce Emily didn't seem to have a lot of trouble with it anymore. It also helped that they lived in a small town and the girl sometimes got to see her mom or dad even when she was staying with the other parent.
"That's not really what you want though." Haley points out delicately. She can't even imagine not being close to Jamie or Aiden. Her kids mean the world to her and she knows it's the same way for her best friend.
Lucas shakes his head and sighs again, "No, it's not."
The door of the café opens then and Lindsey walks in. She locks eyes with Haley for a moment and she can tell Lucas has already told her. Haley's look is still sympathetic though and she can't help but smile a little at her. She and Haley are not as close anymore as they used to be, the divorce driving a bit of a wedge between them, but they're still friends and they try to catch up with each other from time to time. She's grateful to Lucas for never expecting his best friend to just cut Lindsey out of her life after the divorce. She knows though that if it ever comes to a real confrontation between her and Lucas that Haley will be on his side immediately.
Catching Haley looking at the door, Lucas turns around on his stool. Lindsey waves a little at him before walking towards the counter. Haley pours her a coffee as well and refills Lucas' cup before leaving them alone and tending to her other customers.
"Hey," Lindsey says softly and sits down next to him.
He smiles at her. "Hey. Ems at school?" He asks, even though he knows she is. Lindsey just nods and brings the warm cup of coffee to her lips. She smiles a little after taking her first sip. If there's one thing she'll miss about Tree Hill it's definitely Karen's Café's coffee.
"So…" She drawls out after a while. He nods and clears his throat, trying to figure out what to say. He really doesn't know what to tell her though.
"You're really moving?" He asks then, a little needlessly because he knows she is. He guesses it still hasn't really sunken in yet.
She gives him a nod, "Yeah. Are you okay with that? I mean, with Emily coming with me."
"No." He says. Of course he's not okay with his daughter moving away from him. "But I don't want to make this difficult. I'm just trying to figure out what it means that Emily is moving with you to a city about six hundred miles away from here."
"So you're not going to stop me?" She asks. He's not a difficult person, she knows that, but she had been scared that he wouldn't give his consent and it would all turn into a big mess. He's not difficult, but she knows he'd do anything for their daughter.
Lucas shakes his head, "I guess not."
"Thank you." Lindsey says sincerely. "Listen, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? Emily will like having you there and we can talk about it after we put her to bed."
He smiles a little at her before nodding and telling her he'll be there. She drinks the last of her coffee, says goodbye to Haley and walks out of the café, leaving Lucas at the counter, still not any wiser.
After a while Lucas drowns the last of his mug as well and heads back to school.
.
He has a good routine going on in Tree Hill. There's a simplicity to his life that he likes, loves even. He's been the high school basketball coach for seven years now and the team is doing good. When he's not at school for practice or to go through some plays with Nathan and Skills, he's writing. In the almost ten years since An Unkindness of Ravens got published, he has written four more novels. They all sold really well and he knows his publishers are waiting for more. Lindsey keeps telling him to take his time, that she'd rather give them amazing pages they've been waiting ages for than some half-heartedly written ones. He knows he has to give them something soon though.
It just hasn't really been easy lately to sit down and write something he believes in. He had trouble finding the right words again after he and Lindsey split up and somehow, a year later, he still hasn't found them.
He has written stuff, though. Tales about love and life and beauty, but nothing that leads to anything. Sometimes he watches Emily play or sleep and he has the urge to write down that feeling of knowing there's this little person who's counting on you to always be there. He feels the need sometimes to write about this all consuming love he's felt ever since the little girl came into his life. He can't figure out why everything he tries to write turns out to be nothing decent.
He's dribbling the ball through the empty gym, aiming for the hoop, but missing, and he lets out a frustrated groan. His writing is not going great at all, his daughter is moving away, and now he can't even make a proper shot.
He lets the ball bounce away and rakes his hands through his hair. He has a good thing going on here; he has a good job, he loves his family, his friends and the place where he lives, and one week out of two he gets to spend his days with his daughter. His life is good. It feels a little like it's falling apart now.
The ball stops bouncing and Lucas hears footsteps behind him. He turns around and easily catches the ball Nathan passes him. They play for a while and surprisingly, having Nathan there takes his mind off things a little bit and he can actually focus on the game.
After a while, they sit down after Lucas grabs them two bottles of water. Nathan takes a swig and then looks at his brother.
"What?" Lucas asks, getting uncomfortable under Nathan's stare.
"Speak up." Nathan demands. "Haley told me about Lindsey's plans."
He pinches the bridge of his nose before he answers, "She's moving to New York, Emily is supposed to go with her, and I don't know what I should do now."
The darker haired Scott nods and waits for a few moments before he says anything. He looks a little lost in thought, but then shakes his head and look at his brother again. "You have three options, right?" He says and Lucas frowns, looking at Nathan questioningly. "One, you give your consent and she moves away with Ems and you'll see your daughter during vacations and stuff. Two, you don't give your consent and this whole thing becomes a big mess. And three, you move as well."
Lucas raises an eyebrow, "Move as well? As in move to New York as well?" He asks. He doesn't know how that option hasn't occurred to him before. He's been thinking about possible solutions since Lindsey told him about her plans, but moving as well had never crossed his mind.
Nathan nods, "Yeah. If my kids were in New York, I'd want to be there too." He says and makes it sounds as if moving as well is the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it is.
His brother lets him in think in silence for a while. It seems like a crazy idea, just giving up his life in Tree Hill, but maybe it isn't. He'd have to give up the team, but he knows it's in good hands with his brother and Skills. After a few years in the NBA, Nathan's back had started to become a problem again and he'd decided to quit the game. He still loved to play, but he couldn't risk his back like that. He'd become a sports agent, something he loved to do as well, and when he had time he helped out Lucas and Skills with the team.
Nathan lets his arms rest on his knees, waiting for Lucas to snap out of his thoughts. When that didn't happen after several minutes he spoke up again, "So what do you think?"
"I don't know." The older Scott says. "I have a life here, a job –"
"You're a writer. You can write anywhere. And Skills and I will take care of the team." Nathan tells him. "We'll miss you, but if you don't go, my guess is that Emily will miss you more."
Lucas nods because he knows his brother is right. He'd miss his family and friends too, but he'd miss his daughter more. "I don't know anyone in New York though."
"Not true." Nathan objects. The blonde raises an eyebrow and tilts his head a little. "Brooke and Peyton live in the city." He tells Lucas. He knows they haven't been in touch for years, but he's not going to lie, he's always thought that was stupid. He and Haley managed to speak with the girls often enough, he'd love it if his brother had done the same.
Lucas shakes his head, "I haven't seen either of them in like ten years, Nate."
"Maybe it's time to change that."
"Because it's just that easy." He scoffs and rolls his eyes.
They've been on his mind, the blonde maybe a little bit more than the brunette, but it's ten years since he's seen them and he knows that's probably a bit too long to just fall back into old friendships. And well, there's more to it than just old friendships.
He wonders about them though, wonders how they're doing and if they're happy. He knows Brooke Davis is famous now and even after so long he can't help but be proud of her. She's doing big things, just like he always told her she would. He sees her pictures in magazines sometimes, but he knows that's just one side of her life and he finds himself wanting to know more about the other side. The normal side, that side of her life of which he's sure Peyton's still a big part of. If he's honest, he wonders about Peyton the most. He catches himself sometimes when he's trying to write and his thoughts drift off to years earlier, back when she was still in his life.
But he has moved on from her. It was hard, he'd been so convinced that she was the one, but in the end, he knew he had to let go. She didn't want to marry him, that was just the way it was. And when he and Lindsey started to spend more and more time together, he realized he could fall in love again. He'd had some good years with Lindsey, he'd had truly loved her. But after eight years together and more discussions and fights than either one of them could take they'd decided that going their separate ways would be best for everyone.
"Luke," Nathan pulls him out of his thoughts. He'd been staring ahead of him for quite some moments, wondering whether he could really do this. Just pack his things and move as well.
"Yeah?" He asks and turns towards his brother.
"Are you going to do it?" The younger Scott asks. It's not that he wants his brother to move away per se, he just wants for him to be happy. He knows that won't happen if he has to miss his daughter.
Lucas nods slowly, "Maybe, yeah. I just need to think about the details, you know? I can't just fly down there and play it by ear. I need a stable environment for Emily."
"Okay, so you'll figure out the details. We'll help." Nathan says and Lucas has to laugh. "What?"
"Do you want me gone from Tree Hill? I've never seen you so insistent about something." He jokes.
Nathan laughs too, but his look quickly becomes serious. "I just want you to be happy, man. First the divorce, now Emmy moving away. Don't think that's going to make you any happier." He says sincerely.
Lucas nods again and smiles at his brother. He knows Nathan's right. He's not going to get any happier if Emily lives in New York and he's in Tree Hill.
He thinks he might be ready for this new adventure.
.
Lucas walks the steps to Lindsey's front door. It's something he does every Sunday evening, either picking up or dropping off Emily. It feels weird to think that very soon he won't have to do it anymore.
When they got divorced, Lindsey moved out, leaving Lucas in the house they had bought together. She said she needed a new place for herself, even though she assured him she'd always loved living with him in their house. She found a small place quickly, way smaller than the four bedroom house she and Lucas had shared, but it didn't really need to be any bigger. As long as it was big enough for just her and Emily it'd be okay.
Lucas, on the other hand, was left in what used to be their home together and even though he had always loved how big it was and how many possibilities it held, it felt too big for him now. He had considered moving as well, but he didn't want for Emily to have to get used to two new places.
He feels lost in all the space though sometimes and he thinks it'll be nice to live in something just a little bit smaller again.
He has barely knocked on the door when it swings open, Emily lunging forward to hug her dad. He picks her up and kisses the apple of her cheek. "Hey princess." He smiles at her and she smiles back at him.
"Hi daddy." She says, resting her little hand on his shoulder. "Mommy's in the kitchen, she's making carrots." She whispers then, scrunching up her nose in that adorable way that always makes Lucas' heart swell. He knows she doesn't like carrots, but he's sure that's not the only thing Lindsey's making.
He laughs and tells her so before putting her back down. She reaches for his hand immediately and leads him to the kitchen where Lindsey's just drying her hands on a dish towel before she turns around to greet him.
He asks her if there's something he can do to help, but she shakes her head and smiles at him, telling him to just sit down and have a drink. It's not long before Emily has taken up her spot on Lucas' lap and when she starts telling him excitedly about her day he can only smile widely. She's just started a story about a boy in her class when Lindsey announces that dinner is ready. When she faces her ex-husband and daughter she can't help but roll her eyes at the set jaw Lucas is sporting after Emily's story. In his opinion it's way too early for his daughter to start telling stories about boys, even if they end in he's so gross.
They have dinner over comfortable chatting (well, it's almost exclusively Emily telling her parents stories) and he knows that they must seem a normal family to outsiders. Sometimes he wishes they still were.
He can't pinpoint the exact reason why he and Lindsey broke up and if he's honest, that's probably the most frustrating. When Haley asked, or his mother, or his friends, he always gave them the standard 'it didn't work anymore', but he's well aware that's probably the most stupid answer he could give. It's true though, somehow. He doesn't know why, he can't say when it started, but somewhere along the way he and Lindsey just stopped working. He would bring her coffee when she was working and she wouldn't smile up at him anymore like she'd always done. Or she'd make French toast on Sunday and his eyes didn't light up anymore like they'd always done upon seeing her make his favourite breakfast.
They were both very much focused on their daughter, which was good. Except for the fact that they stopped focusing on each other as well. Once they both noticed it and pointed it out, it only got worse. Where they were once too focused on something else to not notice the other one being focused on other things as well, they were now all too well aware of the other and the way they were both busy with things that didn't involve their significant other.
It only led to discussions and fights. And eventually to a divorce they were both okay with.
But sometimes, just sometimes, he wonders if they should've tried more. If maybe they should've just trudged through it, trying to make it work anyway instead of simply giving up. Sometimes he thinks that they shouldn't have given up so easily; he wonders about Lindsey being what people call the one and what if she really was and now they were divorced? But then he remembers that they had tried to make it work, that they miserably failed at said attempt.
He would've loved –believed it for a long time even– if Lindsey really was the person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. But she isn't and after a year, that's okay.
He just wishes sometimes that they were still a normal family. When he starts thinking about that wish he realizes it has actually little to do with Lindsey, but more so with a little blonde girl and his wish for her to grow up in an ordinary family. When he thinks about his failed marriage and feels the disappointment, it's usually because he had really, really wanted for his daughter to not have to grow up in a broken family.
"Daddy," Emily starts again after they have finished eating. Lucas looks up at her with a smile, waiting for her to say more. "did you know mommy wants to move to New York?" She asks, a small frown on her face.
Lindsey's head snaps up, shooting a look at her daughter. She puts her fork down and sighs just a little, "Emily, didn't we agree we wouldn't ask questions about that anymore?"
"I just want to know if daddy knows!" The girl argues, her face quickly transforming into a pout.
Lucas watches mother and daughter warily, not knowing what had been said already about the move and what not. "I know, honey." He tells Emily, making her look at him again.
"Are you staying here?" She asks him and he can see that the distance between them if he would is troubling her.
"Actually, -" He wants to start, but Lindsey cuts him off.
"Go play a bit in your room, Em. We'll talk about it later." She says, facing the girl. It's not that she doesn't think Emily is allowed to know what's going on, not at all. She wants her daughter to know about the changes that are about to happen. She just wants to know what's happening herself first before she goes on telling Emily things.
"But –"
"No buts, Ems. Listen to your mom." Lucas says, just a tad firm.
They watch their daughter as she walks into her room, sulking. Lindsey starts apologizing, telling Lucas that she had done her best to explain everything to Emily, but she'd had trouble explaining Lucas' role in it all. He told her it was okay, that that was the reason he was there anyway, to clear it all out.
"So," She says then. "what are we going to do? Draw up an arrangement for you to see Emily?" She suggests and notices the way his jaw sets. She knows he hates the thought of not seeing Emily all the time and she's well aware that she's actually not been very fair with him. She had made the decision to move and had just sort of hoped that he would go along with her plan. It's too late now, but she knows she should've talked to him first.
Lucas takes a sip of his drink before he looks up at her again, "We won't need any new arrangements actually." He says and watches as Lindsey's look changes into one of confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm moving as well." He tells her decisively. After his talk with Nathan he had given the idea some more thought and had become fully convinced that it was the right thing to do, the only right option as far as he's concerned.
A frown appears on Lindsey's face as she takes it all in, "You're moving too? To New York? What about your life here? You love Tree Hill." She says and she's right. He does love Tree Hill, he just loves Emily more.
"I'm not going to be the dad that sees his kid during school holidays, Lindsey. I can move my life to another place if that means our daughter still gets to see both her parents regularly."
Lindsey nods as Lucas explains his motives to move as well. Of course he'd move. She doesn't know why she didn't think of it sooner. It makes her feel a little bit better about her plans, knowing that Lucas will still see their girl as much as he did in Tree Hill, but she still feels bad about it all. She knows he'll do anything for their daughter, but she didn't want for him to give up his life in Tree Hill. She knows how much he loves that little town and she hates essentially being the one to take that away from him.
"Are you going to be okay in New York? You don't know anyone there."
He shrugs his shoulders, "I'll get to know people. Nathan thinks I should get back in touch with Brooke and Peyton, but I don't know if that's such a good idea."
He doesn't know why he mentions the two best friends; isn't really aware of it either until the words are out of his mouth and he notices the look on Lindsey's face. He knows she's always been just a little bit insecure about the two girls that play such big parts in his first novel. She'd edited the book and had witnessed with how much care Lucas chose his words for the two girls, especially for the blonde one.
"Might not be a bad idea." She says after a few moments, shrugging her shoulder with a nonchalance he knows is fake. "Don't tell me you've never wondered about how Peyton's doing in the last ten years."
Of course he notices that she only mentioned Peyton, but he doesn't know what to say about that so he just tells her that he'll see before starting on a few more details about the move and what it means in regards to Emily.
He doesn't like what she might have been insinuating with that statement, but at the same time, she is sort of right. He has been wondering about it. He doesn't know if he'll ever find out, but he's ready to move and see if he will.
He's ready for New York.