Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Note: Awesome reviews!!! Thanks so much to every one! I really appreciate it! Wasn't the finale of One Tree Hill AMAZING! My favorite parts were the Spice Girl dance and the way it ended on Nathan and Lucas playing basketball. Perfect. I do have some bad news though – I have carpal tunnel. Yeah - any writer's worst nightmare. So, I'm going to be resting my hands more. Yepp- that means updates less often. I'm really sorry, trust me, I hate this. But hopefully it doesn't get too serious and I'll be back before you know it! I'm still writing, I just can't write as much as I want. So please hang in there. My next update will be for Until the Tears Stop Falling, and then this story. So for now, enjoy!

"No pressure, no diamonds."
-Thomas Carlyle

What Brooke did with her days varied. Sometimes she would stay in, sometimes she would go to an art show, sometimes she would go see a movie, and sometimes she would go shopping. It all depended on her mood.

Today, Brooke wanted to get out of her apartment. She wanted to stop thinking about what she had seen last night. She wanted to know why she even cared. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a light blue sweater and brown knee boots, which she pulled up over her jeans. She picked out a diamond hairpin and used it to pin back the hair around her face. Simple.

After saying hello and goodbye to Rodger, who was once again reading the paper, Brooke decided that it was a beautiful day to go to the local zoo. About twice a year she made her way over there – it reminded her of when she was little (She couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing).

But first, she needed to talk to Oliver. It was early enough that he might still be working his shift.

Sure enough, he was there, looking much more awake. Which was lucky for him, since the café was now packed with people wanting their morning coffee. Brooke guessed he'd had his coffee.

"Hey B, or should I say, Penelope." He joked, but ushered her over so she could explain.

Brooke was ready to tell him. She really was. She had rehearsed it over and over in her head, exactly what she was going to say. But actually standing with him made everything so much harder – too much pressure.

"So, about the Penelope thing…" She started, her fingers subconsciously going to the diamond clip in her hair, "Penelope is my middle name. Sometimes I introduce myself as Penelope when I don't want people to know my real name. You know- if they are really aggravating or something. Those rich losers at the parties we catered. ." She finished. It wasn't a lie, just a bend of the truth.

"That's…understandable I guess." Oliver shrugged, obviously disappointed by the lack of story.

A man waiting in line behind Brooke let out an aggravated breath so Brooke moved aside, "Yeah, so…I've got to go, but I'll take one of those muffins." She pointed at the banana nut one behind the glass display.

"Here you go." He handed it to her, but brushed away her money. "It's on the house."

"Oliver, no. Just let me pay for it," Brooke pushed the money towards him again.

"Someone pay for it," The man behind Brooke muttered, and Brooke rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll just leave the money there. Whoever wants it, can have it." She flashed Oliver a dimpled smile and took off.

Being a Sunday, the zoo was crowded with families. Little boys and girls pressed their faces up against the glass of the exhibits, trying to get as close as they could. Brooke remembered the first time she had been to the zoo. She had tried to crawl in with the lions, thinking one of them was Simba from the Lion King. She had almost succeeded, but her parents had grabbed her just in time, keeping her from danger. Brooke smiled a bitter smile – how things had changed. Brooke had fallen into the lions pit long ago and they hadn't even noticed.

But that was then, and this was now. To was too far gone for saving. Plus, she was busy enjoying the pink cotton candy she had splurged on. Brooke's favorite thing about cotton candy was how even though it was so messy and made your fingers sticky, the taste was completely worth it.

"Excuse me!" A high-pitched voice from a tiny little girl made Brooke look down.

"Yes?" Brooke smiled, squatting down to get on the same level as the girl. She was probably about six, with light brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. Blue eyes that made Brooke think of Lucas.

"What's your name?"

"Brooke."

"Miss Brooke, do you know if they get to come out of the cages?" She asked, pointing to the polar bear that was happily ignoring the hoards of little kids.

"I don't think so sweetheart, I think he likes it in there." Brooke said, looking from the bear to the girl.

The little girl frowned, "Why?" Why- A question that every little kid asked. Simple answers aren't good enough because they want to know everything because everything is so new. Ironic, Brooke thought, how now she wished she could have some simple answers.

Brooke shrugged, thinking that any explanation she gave the girl would be sufficient, "It's safer in there."

"My brother says that the polar bear only likes it in there because he's never been to the snowy place where the other bears live."

Brooke raised her eyebrows, turning to look at the polar bear, who still looked pretty content to her.

"I think the polar bear would be scared if it left it's home." She said, more to herself this time, as she tried to think through all the thoughts that had just begun running through her head.

"My brother says that every polar bear is scared." She continued, still looking at Brooke, waiting for another response.

"Well-" Brooke began, wondering why this conversation with a ten year old was making her frustrated, "Even so, the polar bear couldn't get out. The glass it too thick."

"Lily! There you are. If you don't stop wandering off, you're going to give me-" The voice stopped as Brooke looked up.

"Heart attack." Lucas finished, a smile coming to his face. Brooke, on the other hand, was far from smiling. Her eyebrows instinctively went up, but she remained speechless. So Lucas was a father, a father of two if Lily really had a brother, and Peyton was busy cheating on him. What a happy picture she'd stumbled on to.

"Hey Penelope." He smirked.

"Hey." She said politely, wondering how it is that she's never seen Lucas or Peyton before this week and now they were everywhere.

"Her name is Brooke, Lucas." Lily rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the soda Lucas handed her.

"No, Lily, it's Penelope. You have to stop making up names for people. Like, my name will never be Barney." He laughed, shooting Brooke an apologetic look.

"I didn't. She told me her name was Brooke. Didn't you Miss Brooke?" Lily looked up at Brooke, expecting her to agree with her.

"Maybe you misheard me?" She tried, but she didn't even believe herself. Lily frowned and ran off to a spot that had cleared by the glass. She was obviously bored with the conversation.

Lucas was still looking at Brooke though, "Your name is Penelope, right?"

"Yeah, of course." She said, looking away from Lucas who looked like he was having trouble with something.

Silence fell between the two, and Brooke bit her lip.

"Your daughter is beautiful," She offered, looking over at Lily to avoid his eyes.

That laugh that had been haunting her thoughts erupted, "Lily? She's my sister."

Brooke turned back to look at him. So he was the all-knowing brother Lily had been talking about. Figured.

"Oh, well. She's very sweet." Brooke shot out another compliment, hoping Lily would soon get bored with the polar bears and they would leave.

"Yeah, a lot to handle though." He admitted, sitting down on the bench that had just emptied. Brooke stayed standing.

"Who are you here with?" He asked, probably wondering if Brooke had kids of her own.

"Myself." She replied, not caring whether or not she sounded pathetic. As far as she was concerned, Lucas was the pathetic one. After all, his girlfriend of years was cheating on him.

"Cool." He smiled big; as if he were about to laugh, and Brooke could have sworn her heart had skipped a beat.

"There you are. I thought we were going to the penguins next?" Peyton's voice joined their conversation and Brooke shook her head. Was this a dream?

"Oh, hey Peyt. The penguins are in the next room. You remember Penelope, from the party?" Brooke didn't fail to notice the way his voice seemed to italicize Penelope.

Peyton smiled, as if Brooke hadn't seen her earlier that morning, "Yeah. Nice to see you again."

"You too." Brooke forced the words.

"Well, where's Lily, I've got her cotton candy." Peyton looked around anxiously, and Brooke couldn't help feeling good holding the upper hand.

"She's over there," Lucas pointed to the tiny girl and grabbed the other cotton candy Peyton was holding "You didn't want one?" He asked her, as she began walking towards Lily.

Peyton shook her head, "It's too messy." With that, she walked away, leaving Brooke and Lucas alone (A risky move in Brooke's opinion – what if Brooke told? Didn't Peyton care?).

"I see you don't care about the mess." Lucas pointed to Brooke's almost fully eaten cotton candy.

"The taste is worth the mess." She shrugged, saying aloud her earlier thoughts.

Lucas didn't say anything; he just gave Brooke the strangest look – one that she couldn't decipher.

"Well, I have to go." Brooke faked looking at the time on her watch (which didn't even work). "Nice seeing you two again, and tell Lily it was nice to meet her."

Before Lucas could respond, Brooke turned and began to push herself through the crowd.

"Bye Brooke."

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A/N: Review please! And read the opening note!