Author's Note:Updates, updates, update! If you haven't already, please check out my other updated fics "Thoughts Run Unspoken" and "Equilibrium." Both are newly updated and BL-centric. Thank you to everyone who leaves reviews – they literally make this all worthwhile and help me figure out where to go next!

-C

xox

A River Runs Through It

Chapter 4: Happy Thoughts

"Did she slip you the tongue?"

As always, Derek's way with words came barrelling into the conversation like a bull charging at a matador waving a red muleta. It was typical for him to ask such blunt questions. Derek believed that filters were for coffee machines, not mouths. Most of the time, Lucas' reaction would be to roll his eyes, mutter some words of disgust and of course – not reply – but this afternoon, he didn't feel the usual urge to react to his friend's inappropriate questions with disdain or ignorance. As they sat together on the Scott's front porch, Lucas glanced over at an eager Derek and shrugged.

"No comment."

"Aha!" Derek replied, as if he had uncovered some hidden truth locked away deep within Lucas' soul. "That means yes!"

The energetic waiter fist-pumped the air for no apparent reason, a move that saw Lucas chuckle slightly. Here was his best friend, celebrating his somewhat-victory kiss with Brooke Davis. Such a happy thought. However, the small laugh only propelled Derek's enthusiasm and the blonde nodded his head as if he'd solved some master puzzle. "Ahhh yes, totally means yes!"

"It does not mean yes," Lucas scoffed, shaking his head as Derek grinned towards him. It was almost impossible to converse with his sex-crazed friend at times like these because he became like a dog with a bone. The inquisition and inappropriate questioning never ended. Lucas closed his eyes as if to shield himself from the onslaught of conversation that was sure to be sent his way but it was useless. Not even a tidal wave could stop Derek from getting what he wanted. It was one of the reasons Lucas respected him as much as he did.

He was as tenacious as they came.

"Oh really?" Derek countered, an arched eyebrow heading north as he sent Lucas his own version of an eye-roll. "Do you jerk off at least once a week?"

Lucas' baby blue eyes flew open as he choked on the soda that had just been brought to his lips. A familiar feeling of warmth invaded his cheeks as he felt himself blush. "What the fuck? I'm not answering that!"

"See?" Derek smirked, grabbing the soda from Lucas' hands and bringing it closer to his own mouth. "Told you it means yes."

"What it means is that you're a dick and have no idea what privacy stands for." He settled into his chair once more, silently repeating the moment Brooke's lips graced his. He could live inside this cocooned imagination forever. He knew he should stop – it was only one kiss – but just the thought of her made his cheeks flush with a familiar warmth all over again.

"Oh don't be such a bitch, Luke." Sighing as he nestled into his own chair, Derek continued. "Honestly, you'd think you were on your period the last few days with the way you've been acting."

"Now just you wait a minute…"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Lucas' words were cut short by the low hum of an engine pulling into the curb in front of the house. The truck was familiar but it was a surprise to see it again after so long. Beaten down and grumbling the old girl had chips of paint missing from all sides. It was a workman's vehicle, one he hadn't seen in many months. Slowly rising out of his chair, Lucas gazed in confusion as solid feet hit the ground and a raven-haired faux-stranger made his way up the tiny path.

"Luke."

With a simple nod of the head, Nathan placed his dirt-stained hands to his hips, a long sigh escaping his lips as he gazed at his slightly-older brother.

"Nate. It's been a while."

"Yeah…" Nathan lowered his eyes briefly and let his reply hang in the air. He wasn't one of many words and Lucas could tell this time was going to be no different. His brother hadn't always been like this. There was once a time where he was enthused about life – nothing could tear him down. He was strong, sturdy and most of all – alive. But something had happened to harden him, made him lose sight of his humanity almost. Before Lucas could think too much about it, Nathan returned his gaze back to his brother and continued.

"You got a sec? We need to talk."

Lucas nodded slowly, waving his hand towards the spare chair that lay on the porch. Nathan held his hand up, shaking his head to refuse the offer. Okay, so this wasn't going to be a long chat then.

"This won't take long. I came by because whatever you're doing with Brooke Davis needs to stop."

Cerulean orbs flinched momentarily as Lucas lost his words. It was obvious that what Nathan had said had taken him by surprise. Even Derek gasped a little. How could Nathan possibly know? Lucas had only just met Brooke himself and yet here was his younger brother, someone he hadn't seen in months, standing before him telling him to stop seeing her. He was shocked, no doubting that. But the shock was soon replaced by annoyance, for who was he to tell him what to do?

"Nate, that's really none of your business."

"Luke, you know that she doesn't belong in our world." His forwardness shocked Lucas. Stepping forward with a tired determination, Nathan raised his eyebrows as Derek stood up beside his friend.

"I believe we're all living on the same planet here… so unless she has a third leg, or a third eye, or even better – a third breast – I don't see how this whole not being from our world scenario really works and I'm pretty sure your brother can screw whomever he wants!"

Of course Derek would choose to defend his best friend with sarcasm and slight sexual innuendo. Nathan shook his head, another long sigh escaping his lips. Lucas couldn't remember the last time his brother didn't look tired.

"Shut up, Dere-lict," Nathan replied, clearly not in the mood for anything the young blonde sidekick had to say. "Listen, Luke. I make it pretty easy for us to stay out of each other's way and you know what, you're right. It is none of my business. It's yours and I'd gladly like to keep it that way. But when your business turns up at my job and asks me to stop this from happening, it unfortunately becomes my business…"

"Brooke turned up at your work?" Now Lucas was really paying attention. Just the thought of her denying the moment and going to such great lengths to stop anything more from happening painfully tugged at his heart.

"Not exactly," Nathan shook his head, biting his lower lip as if contemplating what to say. Or how much to tell. "Listen. Brooke Davis is from the other side of the river. Ever since we were young, we both knew what that meant. Those girls – they're out of reach."

Those girls? Okay, so maybe Brooke was out of his league and maybe she had everything and he had nothing but the way Nathan spoke gave Lucas the feeling that it wasn't only Brooke he was referring to.

"If she's so out of reach then how come she's into him too?" Derek stood by his friend, adamant that having his back was the right thing to do. Lucas and Nathan didn't have the closest relationship. It was hard, having a deadbeat dad to share. Two hard-working mothers was all they had in common growing up and finding any further common ground was almost impossible. Derek had become the brother Lucas should have had.

And Nathan got no one.

"She's getting married, man." Nathan's eyes relayed the pity he obviously felt towards his brother. It was a look Lucas both hated and respected at the same time. Whatever his faults, however distant their relationship – Nathan had his brother's back. Deep down, he knew this. It obviously pained his baby brother to speak of Brooke in such a way but something was telling Lucas that Nathan knew more about this than he was letting on. Like somehow, he was sharing his brother's pain.

"I know she's getting married, Nate. But there's just something about her…"

"Plus, she kissed him today. Planted one squarely on his lips." Derek beamed then, like a proud father who had just heard about his son's first time. "So what do you have to say about that?"

"I say that there's always something about these women. They're beautiful, charming, intoxicating… and they seem to really like you at first. They make you feel like anything is possible because a guy like you can be wrapped up in a girl like them." Sourness entered his tone then and for the first time Lucas' suddenly realised that Nathan had a reason for feeling the way he did. That his warnings came from something Lucas didn't know his brother had.

Experience.

"Who was she, Nate?"

Nathan shook his head, shutting down the question hard. He wasn't going to get into that.

"It doesn't matter."

Reaching into his pocket, Nathan pulled out his keys to signal the conversation was coming to a close. "Just trust me when I tell you – these girls like a play-thing when it comes to dallying with the rough guys from the wrong side of the river… but the minute you fall is the minute they pull the rug out from under you and decide that you're just not good enough after all. Eventually, they all return to the bigger fish on their side of the pond."

Turning on his heel, Nathan started making his way back towards the disgruntled ute on the side of the road. He stopped briefly, his large back rising up and down with his heavy breaths. He turned to look at his brother, his eyes relaying such sympathy and compassion that even Derek sucked in a breath of surprise.

"Just watch yourself, big brother. These people… they don't kid around."

Before Lucas could say another word, Nathan climbed into his truck and brought the engine to life. As it rumbled its way down the street, Lucas' mind began to whirl with the events of the day. First a kiss with Brooke that took his breath away – then a warning from his brother to stay the hell away. Who the hell were these people that first they would even know about him and Brooke, and second, that they would go to such lengths to stop whatever it was that was happening between them?

Why drag his brother into it?

"Beer?" Derek asked, moving inside before Lucas could reply. Clearly they both needed the beverage, if anything to try and take their minds off the now incredibly complicated situation. It was all too confusing and Lucas had no idea what to do or where to begin to sort it out.

"You know there's only one person who can answer the million questions you've got floating around in that ridiculously brainy head of yours," Derek announced, startling Lucas as he handed him an opened beer and took the seat next to Lucas. "And until you speak to her, you're not going to be able to sort anything out."

Without replying, Lucas nodded his head and stared off into the sunset. Of course his best friend was right. There was only one person in the whole entire world who could give him any kinds of answers that he needed and until he spoke to her there was really no point trying to figure out what to do. No he had to speak to her; there was no other choice now.

Lucas Scott had to meet up with Brooke Davis and get some answers.

x~X~x

"I love Jennifer Lopez's dress! Maybe it was a little too short. I mean, I'm thrilled she has twins but do we have to see where they came from?"

The flat-screen television illuminated the darkened room as Joan Rivers gave her usual snarky fashion tips for the evening. Brooke Davis chuckled at the remark, the older fashion-icon rarely missing a beat and always managing to elicit a smile from the brunette fashionista. Tucked under the covers of her satin-adorned king-size bed, Brooke sketched away at her newest designs against the softness of her goose-down pillows. It was moments like these she truly enjoyed being back home. From the top floor of her double-story riverside home, the cool evening breeze floated throughout the room and she could smell summer outside. It reminded her of when she was a kid, splashing in the water and enjoying barbeques on summer evenings.

Brooke Davis was definitely happy to be back in Tree Hill.

Glancing over at the clock, she let out a soft yawn as she watched the green neon numbers tick over.

11:45.

Where the hell was Julian?

Brooke couldn't remember the last time she had been home alone. In fact, she pushed her mind as far as it could go and she figured out that this was the first time since being back in tree hill that her fiancé was not in the bed beside her. She remembered many nights in New York clinking into bed and feeling him slide in beside her at all hours of the morning. She was used to it for in his busy corporate world of investments a client could take him away to sample portfolios and watch the stock market whenever it opened across the world. "It's a job that never really has a knock-off time," she recalled him telling her when they first met. At the time, it sounded divine. She was so busy getting her fashion company off the ground she barely had enough time to breathe, let alone date. Plus his investment was more than enough to gain her gratitude. His business knowledge had been extremely helpful.

But she felt uneasy with how late the hour had gotten. Julian had promised that while she opened the East Coast boutiques he would scale back on his work commitments to be there for her. In fact, he had insisted when she told him it wasn't necessary.

So where was he now?

Reaching for the phone, Brooke decided to call and make sure he was okay. Before she reach the handset however, the phone roared to life. The ring echoed throughout the room, making it feel even emptier than it did before. Pulling the receiver to her ear, Brooke spoke.

"Hello?"

"Sweetheart, what are you doing awake at this hour? We have a meeting with investors."

Brooke rolled her eyes. Victoria Davis was a bulldozer. There was literally no other way to describe her. Growing up, she taught her daughter that appearances were everything. Honestly, Brooke never thought herself to be anything lie what her mother had hoped for but since creating her hugely-successful fashion empire, Victoria had become a more involved mother.

Fancy that.

"Well exactly how am I supposed to be able to sleep when my mother keeps calling me?"

"Whatever," Victoria sighed on the other line as if she were already bored with the conversation. "Once the investors have a look at the place I want you to seriously consider whether Tree Hill is the appropriate venue for a new boutique."

Brooke groaned into the phone, not wanting to have this discussion with her mother again. She knew Victoria had reservations about coming home but Brooke didn't share them. Sure, the fashion designer knew New York was a great place to be but she missed home. She missed the friendly community, the buzz of the cafes on weekend mornings and the way the river flowed in the Spring. New York was beautiful – she couldn't deny it – but it didn't feel like home. Brooke ahd no idea how she could get her mother to see why she felt the way she did when Victoria had always been of the stone-cold variety.

"I'm not doing this again, mother," Brooke replied, closing her sketchpad and placing it into the drawer beside her bed. "I told you why I want to be here-"

"Yes but you're being emotional, darling," Victoria cut her daughter off, pushing her agenda. It was just like Victoria to do so. She wasn't sued to taking no for an answer, from anyone. In fact, people in the industry were well away of Brooke's protective and business-savvy mother.

"You can't be emotional in business. How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you that for me, business is personal." Brooke reached out for the television remote and turned it off, plummeting the room into total darkness. At least this way, she could pretend her mother was somewhere far, far away. "I'm sticking with my guy on this one, okay?"

"I was afraid of this." Victoria cleared her throat and Brooke knew instantly that her mother had already planned something. "So I flew Peyton in this afternoon to go over all the business logistics. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, we'll have a very clear idea on whether this East Coast venture of yours should include this rinky-dink town."

Brooke paused at the mention of her blonde friend. She hadn't seen Peyton since New York and she had dodged all her calls since she'd been home. Swallowing hard, the fashionista glanced over at the clock beside her and breathed deeply.

11:48.

"Sweetheart?" Victoria spoke into the phone sharply, pulling Brooke from her wandering thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"Yes mom," Brooke replied, taking another deep breath and letting out a fake yawn. "I'm just tired. I should get some rest."

"Yes, yes," her mother answered quickly, sounding slightly annoyed. Her daughter barely flinched – Victoria always sounded annoyed. "Sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. Goodnight."

Before her daughter could even reply, Victoria had hung up the phone and disappeared. Brooke slipped the phone into the receiver and glanced at the clock once more.

11:49.

As her heart quickened, Brooke slid into bed and curled onto her side. She breathed deeply through her nose, trying everything she could to supress the dread that crept into her heart. She closed her eyes to blink away the salty tears that pricked at her eyelids, forcing them back into oblivion. She wasn't going to succumb to this feeling again – she had come so far since those lonely nights in New York. No, she was going to focus on happier things and remain the ever-strong, brilliant designer who had everything that the whole world believed her to be.

"Think happy thoughts," she whispered to herself, pushing as hard as she could. She whispered her thoughts out loud, trying to push herself to extinguish the bad feeling that was brewing within her. "Designer of the Year, strawberry cheesecake, swimming in the ocean, puppies…"

11:50.

"Summer, peach ice tea, the French Riviera, Joan Rivers…"

11:51.

Oh god, stop the panic. Stop this feeling…

"Lucas Scott."

Her breathing slowed. Instinctively she reached up and gently touched her lips with her fingertips, feeling him there. She knew what had happened today was completely crazy. Every inch of her being had told her not to. But seeing him there – the way he looked at her – she felt drawn to him. What was it about him that made her feel alive again?

Click.

As just like that, Lucas disappeared from her thoughts. The front door downstairs clicked open and quickly closed itself again. Footsteps traced across the marble floor and briskly ascended the staircase to the second story. The bedroom door crept open and in came her fiancé, Julian whispering her name softly to see if she was awake.

Brooke closed her eyes and didn't reply.

Coming into the room, Julian breathed heavily as he hurriedly pulled his clothes from his body and dumped them into the clothing hamper by the closet. Climbing into bed, he cleared his throat slightly before rolling to his side so that their backs were facing each other.

The fear that had been knotting in her stomach now twisted unrelentingly. Brooke closed her eyes and pushed her head into her pillow, allowing the fabric to absorb her tears. She had hoped coming to Tree Hill would solve all her problems but as the smell of vanilla perfume radiated from her fiance's skin and reached her nose, Brooke knew her New York troubles had followed her home.

And her bruised and battered life was far from perfect.

x~X~x

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I'd like to know your thoughts.

-C