Futures

Chapter 3:

How Long is Too Long?

She wasn't quite sure that divine intervention came in the form of the devil, but Brooke had never been more thankful to see her mother's name flashing on her caller I.D.

"I have to take this," she stuttered out, bending down and depositing Chester onto the rug. She squeezed past Lucas and Jamie who still stood in the doorway, watching her. She kept her eyes on the ground as she slipped past, her thumb pressing the answer button and bringing her phone to her ear. She could smell his cologne; he still smelled the same.

"Don't yell at me mother," she warned as way of greeting as she took the stairs quickly, too afraid to glance over her shoulder. She could hear the background noise of the office on the other line. Her mother scoffed.

"Oh dear now what reason would I have to yell at you. Besides the fact that you've been missing for two days and we have a company to run!"

"You're yelling," Brooke sighed as she crossed the living room and slipped out the glass French doors that led into the backyard, pulling them shut behind her. "And I did not disappear. I called the office and told Millicent that I would be gone for a few days. Peyton had a baby mother, a little boy, he is so precious…"

"Oh Brooke, I thought you'd finally severed all your ties with that wretched little town. Especially Peyton Sawyer, tragedy follows that girl where ever she goes."

"Were you not listening? Peyton had a baby. What's tragic about that?"

"Everything," her mother replied dryly and Brooke cursed herself for still feeling hurt by the comment. "Brooke honestly, get yourself on a plane as soon as you can and get back here. We have meetings with Macy's and you agreed to an interview with CosmoGirl weeks ago."

"You go to the Macy's meetings, its not like you ever let me say anything anyway. And I'll call CosmoGirl and tell them we need to do the interview by phone. I don't think it'll be a problem. I need to stay here until the end of the week."

"Brooke Penelope Davis this is unacceptable. I am telling you to get your size five ass to the airport right now and…"

The phone hit the water with a satisfying splash and Brooke took a deep breath as she watched it slowly sink to the bottom of the swimming pool.

"Bitchy customer?" he startled her yet again and she let out a small noise of surprise as she faced him, hand on her heart. He was standing at the top of the stone stairs, hands in the pockets of his jeans. His hair was short and a dark, rusty blonde color like it had been a long time ago when they were younger. He wore a dark navy polo with 'Coach Scott' embellished across his heart and a whistle hung around his neck. His arms looked stronger and his jaw more defined than she could ever remember them looking before. Authority looked good on him she decided. Really good. Her tongue suddenly felt too big for her mouth and her hands were fidgeting nervously.

"No," she managed, "Bitchy mom, like always."

He smiled, that brilliant Lucas Scott smile. She bit her lip.

"It's good to see you Brooke."

"You too. It's been…forever."

"Two years," he agreed.

There was a long moment of silence.

"So how about Peyton?" she asked dumbly, quickly kicking herself inside her head.

"Yea, her and Jake are so happy. Jenny too."

"I'm so happy for them," she pushed her bangs from her forehead and tried to control the tears she could feel building behind her eyes for some reason, "They really deserve to be happy, after everything they've all been through."

"Yea," he agreed, "they do. Look Brooke," he took a few step towards her, "I want us to be friends ok? I don't want things to be weird while you're in town."

"Uh yea," she forced a smile, that clueless Brooke Davis grin she'd perfected at fourteen, "Totally. Friends."

He was staring at her, watching her with those pensive eyes. Words seemed stuck on his tongue but Jamie's head popped out of the door drawing his attention away.

"Uncle Luke, we're going to be late for practice!"

"I'll be right there Jluke," he turned back to Brooke. "So, see you later friend?"

"Yea," she laughed a little, "Bye friend."

As she watched his retreating back a tiny voice in her brain scoffed. Yea right, 'friends'.

The two women eventually made it to the hospital, Brooke insisting beneath her breathe the entire drive over that Haley had set her up. Haley ignored her with rolled eyes as they found Peyton's hospital room. Brooke sat at the foot of the bed and Haley in a chair beside it.

Peyton had long since changed out of her hospital gown and into her own sweat pants and an old Jimmy Eat World t-shirt she'd dug out of the closet. Her blonde locks were pulled back into a ponytail. Brooke was a little bit disappointed that Jenny was spending the day with Jake's parents.

"So Brooke and Lucas talked," Haley announced with a small grin as she stared down at the infant in her arms. Peyton's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and she looked to her best friend who was waiting patiently for it to be her turn to hold the baby again.

"I want details right now Davis."

"There aren't any details to tell. We talked for about ten seconds during which he told me he wants us to be friends and things to not be weird while I'm in town."

"Oh my God," Peyton threw her head against the pillow and pointed at Haley, "You know he's your best-friend. I think at some point your going to have to sit him down and explain to the boy that he has a serious problem with denial."

Haley laughed and Brooke glared.

"You two really need to knock it off. I came to town to see you P.Sawyer, Lucas Scott is the last thing on my mind. Let's stop acting like cheerleaders and start acting like grown ups."

Haley looked at Peyton and giggled.

"I guess denial is contagious."

Brooke was searching for a rebuttal when Jake came striding back into the room holding a coffee.

"Look who I found," he gestured over his shoulder just as Nathan came into the room. The tall, dark haired Scott brother knelt down to kiss his wife and smiled at the baby boy in her arms. He glanced up at Peyton with a smile.

"Wow Sawyer, I didn't know you had it in you."

Peyton stuck her tongue at him and then returned the hug he pulled her into. "No really, he's beautiful you guys." Nathan looked back and forth between her and Jake and his eyes suddenly seemed to fall on the other woman in the room. "Brooke Davis? In Tree Hill? I must be seeing things."

"You know, if I had known I was going to take all this abuse I would have stayed in New York," she joked, hugging her old friend. "What's the deal Scott? I thought you were on the road all the time?"

"We've got a week of home games," Nathan explained, "It's only a 45 minute drive out to the stadium." He turned to his wife who was gesturing for Brooke to take her turn with the baby. "Where's Jamie?"

"Lucas took him to practice."

"I think I'm gonna head over there. I have to show Lucas this, I saw it in the mail when I went home to drop my stuff off," he handed Haley the letter after Brooke had taken Garret into her arms. Haley quickly scanned the words, her face twisting in shock.

"They are considering giving Dan parole?"

Every one in the room gasped and Nathan nodded.

"I know, I didn't believe it either. But If there's one thing Dan is good at it's brainwashing people."

"They cannot let him out," Brooke insisted, "He murdered Keith."

"People get parole hearings all the time," Peyton soothed, "Ian Banks just started making requests too," Jake's hand fell to her shoulder, "That doesn't mean they'll let him out, it just means they've granted him an opportunity to speak."

"That's the problem," Nathan sighed, "Dan's a really good speaker. This is gonna be hard on Karen," during their college years Karen had become like an unofficial grandparent to Jamie. She had talked Nathan and Haley though many late night colic fits and first colds. In many ways she'd also become a parent figure to Nathan in replace of what he was missing, like she done for many of the young people sitting in the hospital room. "It's gonna be really hard on Luke too."

Brooke stared down at the cooing baby in her arms. Nathan was right. It had taken Lucas a long time to come to terms with everything that had happened and once he'd found his closure he'd vowed not to think about Dan, declared that the man was dead to him. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Ok well I'm gonna head over to the school, try to deal with this. I'll be home later," Nathan kissed the top of Haley's head and shook hands with Jake.

"Really you guys, congratulations. See ya later Brooke?"

"Well I'm staying in your house, so I hope so."

He grinned.

"Alright, bye guys."

The sounds of basketballs on a gym floor had become almost a constant background noise in both men's lives. They stood off to the side of the gym, Nathan watching his brother's face as he read the letter.

"This is ridiculous," Lucas nearly growled, "He'd a cold blooded killer."

"I know," Nathan agreed quietly, "But at least we're prepared. The hearing is a day that I'll be in town, which is good. We can both go together. We'll tell them everything, every way he's ever hurt us, our moms, everyone we love."

"You think that'll be enough?" Lucas questioned. Nathan grasped his brother's shoulder and smiled.

"Were an unbeatable duo Lucas, or have you forgotten?"

Lucas grinned and his younger brother continued.

"Remember what you said? Dan had control over us from the time we were born up until four years ago. And look how great we've done. He doesn't deserve to be a part of any of our success," Nathan's gaze traveled acorss the gym where his son was standing by Skills side, watching the players with excited eyes as they ran drills. Lucas nodded, eyes set hard in agreement,

"We've got control now."

The familiar bell above his head sounded as Lucas entered the café. His mother glanced up at him and smiled from her spot behind the counter like she must have done thousands of times through out the course of his life. Things were different now of course. Once upon a time she wouldn't have looked so alone. Haley might have been darting around, staying still only long enough only to drop some sarcastic joke in his direction. And that stool at the counter would have been occupied. The air would have smelled just slightly of mechanics grease.

"Want some dinner coach?" she asked, pouring him a glass of iced tea. She was always trying to give him alternatives to the coffee he seemed to be living off of lately, "its not good for you, and it'll stain your teeth.' The threats of stunted growth hadn't been affective since ninth grade.

"Thanks mom," he sipped the tea and glanced around. There was an older couple finishing off their bowls of soup in the corner and a few high school kids eating French fries and studying in the other. It was almost time for closing but he knew she wouldn't kick them out. She'd sit and she'd wait until they were finished. Over the course of four years she had started spending more and more time in the Café. She stayed open longer hours, even when the tables were empty. The café still held most of her favorite memories and there wasn't much to go home to but silence most nights with Lucas keeping his own apartment. He'd wanted to get out of her hair after twenty-two years of crowding her. Now he wasn't so sure if he'd made the right choice.

"So how are the boys looking?" she asked as she went about making him a tuna sandwich.

"They get a little better every practice, they're really starting to become a well oiled machine. It really is great that they're almost all freshmen and sophomores because we can really build a team. I wouldn't doubt that by most of their senior year we're back to being champions."

She smiled. Initially he'd been discouraged to find that most of his players were so young, so inexperienced. But he was Lucas; he knew how to find a silver lining.

"I'm sure. So what else is new?"

He stared at his plate for a long while.

"Brooke's in town."

"Really? Have you seen her?" she was slicing a few slices of tomato but questioned him over her shoulder.

"Yea, today at Haley's actually."

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. He stared off thoughtfully for a while but shrugged and offered a smile.

"Yea, we talked, decided to be friends."

"Well that's good," she patted her hands across a towel and slid him his sandwich.

"Ma…" he ran a hand through his hair, "I was talking to Peyton and she… she reminded me about you and Keith," he waited to watch her reaction, gauging if he was delving too far but she smiled encouragingly and he continued, "She reminded me about the first time he asked you to marry him. And how you said no."

"Well I was scared," she sighed, "And I was in denial of my own feelings."

"But you loved him, even then?"

"Of course. I think I always did love him all those years. Love can be a scary thing though, especially when you've been burned so badly in the past," she stared for a second, "And you're thinking that maybe you still have feelings for Brooke, more than friendship?"

"I don't know Ma'. It's just… I just convinced myself not to think about her you know? And then she comes back and she's so…" he searched for the right word.

"Brooke," his mother finished with a knowing smile and he sighed.

"Yea. And Peyton got me all crazy telling me that Brooke isn't happy and that she was just scared when she said no to me and its got my head all foggy," he poked around at his sandwich, "Trying to interpret Brooke Davis, I feel like a kid again."

"Oh sheesh," she shook her head, "If you're not a kid anymore than what does that make me? A dinosaur?" He laughed and Karen took his hand, "Lucas if you think that you're meant to be with Brooke, if you think she's the person you want forever with, then you should fight for it. Don't let a lifetime of denials pass you by only to admit your true feelings too late." He smiled up at her sadly and then something else flashed in his eyes. Suddenly it was his hand holding hers.

"Ma' there's something else I have to tell you ok?"

"What? What is it?"

"You probably haven't seen the mail yet today and neither have I but Nate came to see me earlier. He showed me a letter he just got. They've granted Dan a parole hearing."

Her face contorted angrily and then almost as fast smoothed into sadness. He squeezed her hand. She still wore the engagement ring Keith had slipped onto her finger.

"It's just a hearing mom, it doesn't mean they're going to grant it to him, it just means they're gonna listen to what he has to say. Don't worry though, me and Nate are gonna go and we're gonna talk and once they hear what we've got to say, once they hear everything he put us through there isn't a chance in hell they'll let him out. We won't let that happen."

She nodded, forced a smile onto her face for his sake. She never wanted him to worry.

"Of course not, there isn't anybody in their right mind who would let Dan Scott walk free again." He patted her hand.

"Right. Do you want me to stay after I've finished? Help you close up?"

She turned away from him.

"No that's ok honey," she stared down at the ring on her finger, "I think I'm going to stay open a little later tonight."

I know, I'm a jerk for taking Keith from Karen and not giving her Lily or Andy. I guess I just wanted to make her more tragic, more of a reminder that love can be taken away at any second and leave you feeling empty. I'm a jerk. I promise big Brucas confrontations are coming very soon. I will do my best to have chapter 4 up this week, I have a final Wednesday and Thursday and then I'm done with my semester, so I'll have plenty of time. Peace. Thanks for the great reviews last chapter!