Summary: He's like broken glass; beautiful but with edges so sharp and jagged that you could bleed trying to pick up the pieces. There are those willing to try and piece him back together… People like his parents, Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis. AU.
Need to Knows: In season 4 Brooke really was pregnant but when she finally found the courage to tell Lucas Karen died giving birth to Lily. So after graduation Brooke fled to New York with her mother who forced her to give up their baby. Before Lucas almost married Lindsey Brooke came back and told Lucas the truth. After that Lucas fled from Tree Hill with six year old Lily. Nathan, Haley, Jamie, Lydia, Quinn, Clay, and Logan's storylines stay pretty much the same but other characters such as Peyton, Jake, Brooke, and Lucas's have changed. Future AU fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own the OCCs and my versions of the second generation.
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xFumblingThroughTheGray
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Through Broken Glass
A One Tree Hill Second Generation Fanfiction
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Chapter Three
Knowledge. They say knowledge is power and when you're a teenage Robin Hood, you know how true that is. You know things most people wouldn't like how to stitch yourself up after being nicked by a bullet or other various job hazards, to not only pick a lock but how to override an entire security system, or how to escape from a second story window without a rope, ladder, tree, or trellis to climb down. And off the job, it even comes in handy, like when you need to escape from the ghosts of your past and sea of guilt.
Sitting on the ledge of the window he decided falling from a second story window is a hell of a lot less painful then spending another second in that house with walls that kept shrinking. He pushed off remembering everything he'd spent the past year learning the hard way: tuck your arms in, absorb shock with your knees, roll, and accept the fact it's gonna sting a bit.
"Son of a—" he hissed beneath his breath as the brief pain shot up his calf muscles.
But it doesn't stop him. Climbing to his feet, he takes a long, dragged out breath then slips his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and begins walking towards the front of the house in the side yard between Brooke's house and the neighbors. He's headed to the sidewalk when a voice comes from the porch of the luxurious beach house next door causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.
"Hey there."
His eyes snap up to the porch where she casually stood, arms supporting her as she leaned against the white, wooden banister. was beautiful, breathtakingly so. With baby blues so clear he doubts they'd ever be capable of telling lies, so open and honest that they bring truth to the statement 'eyes are the windows to the soul'. And the way those loose platinum spirals that frame her angelic face was icing on the cake… Angelic. Come to think of it, if he were to look up the word angel in the dictionary, he would surely find the image of the mystery girl exactly as she appears before him in this very moment, her mere presence embodying every meaning of the word and in more ways than he could possibly imagine at the time.
"Hey."
"So tell me stranger danger, should I be calling 9-1-1 to report a b&e right about now?" she asks, the tone laced with good-natured teasing.
She was more than just a pretty face. There was something different about her…something about her that possessed him and made him want to feel, to maybe even care. There was never anyone in his life like that, just a sea of faces that he saw right through. But this girl, she seemed true… and that made him drop his guard and just forget the world for a while.
"You could but then you'd live in infamy as the girl that cried wolf and probably get in trouble for making crank calls," he teases back moving slowly to the edge of the flower bed so it and the banister were the only things that separated them. "I'm Caine Archer, biological son of Brooke Davis slash potential boy next door and you're—"
He left the last syllable in the air until she finally took the bait and said, "I'm Jennifer but my friends call me Jae."
"So, you tell me Jae," he starts before she cuts him off.
"Hold it right there, Archer. Who said we're friends?"
"We could be," he shoots back removing his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms behind his back as he casually strolls around the porch and to the steps. "IF you give me a chance." His hand reaches out and that engaging smile of his grew across his face. "C'mon, Jae. Live a little."
Something about his offer was hard to resist. Maybe it was his Adonis-like good looks, or his charm… maybe it was the way his eyes dare her with danger. Or maybe there was no maybe about all the above. All her life, she'd been the small town girl that spent more time in a dance studio than living her life. Jae Jagelski was tired of playing it safe so the cheer captain reached out and took his hand diving into the unknown.
xXx
An incessant knock, knock, knocking on the door awoke Brooke Davis from her nocturnal slumber. It was probably the first night she'd ever fallen asleep before midnight, the first time she really cared for herself. Pulling the sheets to the side, legs that feel like they're composed solely of lead dangled from the edge of the bed until they find hardwood and balled hands move up to rub the sand from her eyes before forcing her fatigued body to move silently cursing whoever was knocking to hell.
Then she was quick to move through the hallway, soft footfalls propelling her forward in an almost gliding fashion; her quick pace is accredited to the desire of letting Caine sleep because she didn't know he wasn't there. Also, she'd be arrested for killing whoever it was at the door if they woke him. Luckily, the whoever it was happened to be the father of said son, Lucas Scott. The moment the door is open enough, Lucas pushed inside.
"Where is he, Brooke?" Lucas asks looking more past her than actually at her.
"Sleeping," she calls after him because he's already half way up the stairs and moving towards the guest room. "Luke, wait."
He stops halfway up the stairs and turns back to Brooke, eleven years of pent up rage at her for keeping their son from him coming out in a fizzy explosion. "I've been out of his life for over sixteen years, Brooke!" Running a hand through his flaxen mane, Lucas took the necessary steps to get some air into his chest in an attempt to calm his frayed nerves but he'd written an entire book called The Comet layered in subtext about how he longed for the day his son would return looking for his dad and now that it was here, Lucas couldn't stand the thought of being gone any longer. "You're insane if you think I'm gonna waste another second."
So he continued his manhunt barreling up the stairs unaware that the boy he was searching for was on the other side of town.
xXx
The Blue Post has all the makings of your stereotypical dive bar from the smoky haze of atmosphere to its drunken occupants. Neither of the teens seemed to mind though as they dance to the jukebox drunk off Patron. They're the only ones dancing and do it around the pool table and between tables but she said she loved to dance and he was willing to oblige.
Afterall, there isn't a better analogy in the world to describe their night. Clasping her hand in with his, they begin. They step; they twist, they spin weaving patterns on the floor but never break frame and compromise what they're working to build. They remain friendly, keep their distance from anything more even as the pace quickens and things become more complicated. Sure they never fall apart but they never grow closer either until a classless Neanderthal tries to cut in.
"That's sweet but no thanks," she responds politely turning the obviously drunk man down but he wouldn't accept it.
"'Ey buddy, she said no," Caine bit back with a venomous tone that warned of a potential escalation of violence. "So back off."
The man nods seemingly backing down from the couple but Caine was quickly reminded a lesson he always seems to be relearning, not everything is as it seems. A sigh just passed Jae's lips, only to be quickly taken back in gasping in shock. The massive right hand came raining down, striking the staggering blow with a thunderous SMACK! Harsh knuckles kissed his eye sending his neck muscles contracting and his face turning downwards, mouth agape in shock.
Despite the rage swelling in his gut, the fiery inferno ready to burn anyone who stood before him, Caine tried to be the better man and turn the other cheek but another savage blow connected with his mouth. Blood bursts from the blonde warrior's lip and dripped down his chin. The slice was thick and heavy going the width of his lip and suddenly he found any sense of composure blown. The jerk charges now, but Caine sidesteps him like a matador dodging a bull but as he passes, skilled hands capture his arm locking it in and contorting it in a sickly fashion.
"If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant," he recited from the Art of War eloquently. "Right now, I can either snap your arm then slam your head into the bar until you're a bloody pulp or I let you go and you walk away. What's it gonna be?"
"Alright, lemme go," he shouts fearful that the teen would snap his arm and letting Caine know how in control of the situation he truly is.
"Not until you apologize to her," Caine barks, twisting the arm slightly.
"Ah, alright! I'm sorry," he bellows gaining the attention from the rest of the bar.
With a rough push, Caine thrust the man in the opposite direction of Jae and immediately the man leaves the bar in a combination of embarrassment and shame. Once sure the jerk was gone, Caine turns his attention back to the cheerleader going to smile but wincing and deciding against it. Reaching over, a long slender arm reaches out and fingers with black painted nails gently cup the side of his face that hadn't been struck, making him want to smile all over again.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she asks the edge of her luscious lips curling up into a bittersweet smile.
"Eh, it comes with the territory when you decide to play white knight?" he responds and she leans in kissing his cheek between the damage inflicted on his lip and eye.
"C'mon, Champ. Let's get out of here.
xXx
In the dead of night Jake Jagelski laid in bed intertwined with his wife, Peyton Jagelski. Wife. Even after nearly a decade of marriage, he couldn't believe he'd gotten his fairytale. It had turned out the record company in LA that was considering him was the one Peyton was interning at proving just how small the world truly is by bumping into each other. Working together put the awkward dance between friends, working together, and lovers. When it was said and done, Jake and Jenny were headed back to Savannah when he took a chance and asked her to come with. Fast forward ten years and a kid later and here they are a happy little family.
"Where's your head at Jake?" she asks realizing his head was elsewhere.
His fingers lace into hers atop his bare chest as that grin teases his lips, the one that makes her heart skip a beat. He turns his head down to hers and brushes his lips gently against her ear whispering seductively, "Round Two."
The moment the word left his lips, he flips atop her pressing his forearms into the bed to keep from crushing her. Laughter permeates the air and tickles beneath his kiss. Expert lips move down to her neck and across her collarbone turning that laugh into a gasp as her fingers slip into the hairs on the nape of his neck only adding fuel to the fire until he heard the sound of two teenagers carrying up and through his window…
The voice of a daughter that shouldn't be outside at four.
xXx
Nobody really knows how long it takes to fall in love or the reasoning behind it; it just happens whenever, wherever it pleases striking your heart and igniting your soul. Caine Archer's its latest victim, despite his determination to never fall in love and knowledge of the pain that comes with losing it. Falling for her also made things more complicated, maybe even too complicated. But it was like Seneca's quote about fate, 'it leads the willing and drags along the unwilling.' There was nothing he could do about it.
"Well, goodnight, neighbor," she responds, one hand on the front door's handle the other leaving his.
"Goodnight," he responds turning and going down the stairs towards his house.
"Hey, wait," she calls a little louder than she probably should have. "Your jacket."
She goes to remove the jacket from her shoulders but he waves her off, "Nah it's alright. I'll get it later."
He didn't want to go back for it because he knew if he did the temptation to kiss her would be too great. Kiss her. The moment he thought of it, he could see it. See leaning in and capturing her lips with a kiss, see fireworks exploding, and it tore any chance of resistance he had right from his hands. Strong legs turned him around and propelled him up the stairs skipping every other step in his haste and his hand captured hers and bulging biceps scratch through the sleeves of his white tee as he spins her around an pulls her into him before pressing her up against the wall.
Hungry lips collide with hers, the taste of patron on their tongues and strawberries on her lips. Then he was hooked drawn into a frenzy of kisses. Lips. Tongues. Hands. Everything out of control in the best possible way. Hot kisses. Fast kisses. Slow kisses. A wild tangent of speeds and heats charge the atmosphere until suddenly their moment of heat is doused by the sound of a throat being cleared.
Busted.
xXx
Fingers nervously tap against the marble counter, brittle nails clicking as he impatiently waits for his son to return. He'd wanted to go turn over every rock until he found him but Brooke convinced him to stay; at the very least Caine would return for his motorcycle which was parked in her garage. But waiting meant being alone with Brooke for the first time since she told him about the boy they're waiting for now and he told her he never wanted to see her again… that he hated her. Thinking about it now, Lucas decides to clear the air knowing exactly where the fashionista's head was probably at as she stirred the creamer in her coffee, her mind elsewhere.
"I don't hate you, Brooke," he declares. Haunted hazel orbs snap back to the present and the author on the opposite side of the counter. "I mean, I hate that you lied to me, hate that I you felt you couldn't come to me, hate that I allowed this to escalate into an eleven year Cold War. But we can't change any of it so all I can do is apologize. I'm sorry, Brooke. I'm really sorry."
He wills her to believe his words by reaching across the table to gently touch her arm in the same fashion Caine had done the day before. Like father like son.
"None of that bad stuff matters anymore, Luke," she responds causing him to realize just how much he missed her. "You're right we can't change any of it. We have to focus on the here and now… and now we've got Caine to think about."
"Yeah, I just wish we knew where he was."
As if on cue his wish was answered with the sound of the doorbell. Brows furrowed and worry evident both parents' features as they abandoned their cups of coffee and move to the door not exactly knowing what to expect on the other side of the door as Brooke pulled it open and Lucas hung back feeling chills ripple down his spine at the thought of meeting his son for the first time. Then the door opened and a different ghost from his past stood in the doorway. Peyton Sawyer.
"Peyton, hey. What're you-?" Brooke starts before the golden haired record producer's cuts her off.
"I think this belongs to you," she says her extended arm retracts bringing the teenager she had by the arm into view.
"Mhm," Brooke says taking him by his other arm and pulling him into the house. "Thanks P. Sawyer."
"Anytime B. Davis," Peyton says giving her best friend a hug before turning to leave.
"Tell Jae I'll be seeing her," Caine calls out from behind his mother with that up to no good smirk.
Brooke Davis turned to her son, eyes wide at the implications of how Peyton wound up coming across him. He'd been with Jae, the daughter of his father's ex-girlfriend. He really was his father's son.
Please Review!
Next Chapter Kick off summer with the Scott Family Barbecue and meet the rest of the second generation!
VFBFan – Glad you liked it and your flashbacks are coming I promise!
BrOoKe DaViS—Glad I've got you interested!
Pam—Well I'm glad you reviewed and glad you're interested.
bobolina—Hope Lucas's return didn't disappoint!
dianehermans—hope you liked the little Brucas moments and I didn't disappoint.