It was the morning of Brooke's flight to California. She hadn't slept the night before; she had stayed up all night talking with Lucas. He had tried and tried to explain to her that he couldn't convince her dad to let her stay here, and Brooke had cried till she had made herself sick. Now, she was lying awake in bed, and Lucas was dead asleep on the floor. She didn't want to leave Tree Hill. She knew flying back and forth was out of the question because of her parent's financial situation, and there's no way Lucas could afford more than one visit every 6 months.
She had cried and cried the night before, not only because she was leaving all the people and things in Tree Hill, but also because she felt like she was leaving her childhood behind. And messed up as it was for her, being a kid was the same across the board for everyone. The years where there's nothing to worry about but being a kid. Now Brooke had a new school to worry about, new people, and her dying mother who would probably want to repent for all her wrongdoings. California was an expensive place to live and her dad had made it clear that Brooke was going to get a job and help out. That was when it hit her. Moving to California was going to destroy her pretend crystal clear and beautiful life. Now she HAD to face it. She was poor, her mother was dying, and she was moving, literally, across the country.
Tears were starting to run down Brookes face as she lay thinking about all these things when she felt Lucas's arms around her.
"Baby girl, why are you crying?" Lucas asked.
"No reason, I'm ok" Brooke whispered.
"Brooke…" Lucas sighed, holding her tightly to him and kissing her forehead. "I'm so, so sorry"
"I don't want to leave you, Lucas" Brooke said.
"I'll be here, I promise. I'll call you every day and I'll write you and email you"
"But you won't be 5 minutes away"
"I'm always a phone call away" Lucas whispered, kissing her. "And should the need arise, I'm only a 5 hour flight away"
"I love you, Lucas"
"I love you too"
Meanwhile…
"Nathan!" Haley called from the bedroom.
"Yeah?" Nathan called back.
"Come here, look at what my mom sent us!"
"What?" Nathan asked, walking into the living room. He and Haley had spent 4 long days reconciling, and they had vowed that nothing was going to tear them apart again. And while they weren't going to get remarried just yet, that wasn't really an issue. Haley was back living with Nathan because Brooke was going to leave soon, and they were as happy as when they had first gotten married. Of course, everything wasn't perfect, it was never going to be. But for now, unperfect was perfectly fine with Haley.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Haley asked.
"It is" Nathan smiled, kissing her forehead. It was a hand sewn blanket with the words "Mommy and Daddy's Angel" on it.
"Have you thought of any names yet?" Haley asked Nathan.
"I have a couple in mind" he said. "But ultimately it's your choice"
"I'm excited" Haley smiled.
"Yeah, me too" Nathan said, kissing her.
"So what are we doing for Christmas?" Haley asked Nathan.
"I don't know, what do you want to do?"
"I kinda wanna go see my parents"
"That sounds like a good idea…but how about we invite them over here? Do it like a real married couple with in-laws"
"Aw baby if that floats your boat then they can come here" Haley laughed. "Is hurricane Taylor invited?" she giggled.
"Oh man, Haley…" Nathan shook his head.
"Kind of funny that you lost your virginity to my older sister and now you're the father of my baby…you get around Nate"
"Haley…" Nathan whined.
"I'm kidding baby doll" Haley laughed. "So how's Lucas taking Brooke leaving?"
"Not good…he sits in his room and stares at old pictures all day"
"It's difficult for him to let someone so important go" Haley said. "I feel bad for what Brooke must be going through, leaving Lucas"
"Yeah…it's really unfair…they're good people and they're so in love…this just came at a bad time" Nathan said.
"And right around holiday season too" Haley sighed. "I'm gonna have to get the decorations up soon!"
"Yeah, all those twinkly Christmas lights you love so much" Nathan teased.
"Hey…those twinkly lights are my childhood"
"I know I'm kidding…I'll put the lights up you're not lifting a finger"
"Nathan, I'm not disabled, just pregnant"
"Still…"
"I'm gonna miss you, you tramp" Rachel said to Brooke, squeezing her tightly.
"I know, I'm gonna miss you too" Brooke said, hugging Rachel.
"Bring me back some yummy Cali boys, ok?"
"I promise" Brooke said.
"Tigger…I'm gonna miss you roommate" Haley said.
"I know…you have to call and tell me every day how the baby's doing, ok?" Brooke instructed. "And I better be his godmother"
"I promise I'll call you every day"
"Take care of Haley and the baby, ok, Nate?" Brooke said, hugging her friend.
"Yeah" Nathan smiled.
"And Lucas" Brooke turned to Lucas. Everyone shifted away to give them privacy.
"I'll call you every single day baby girl" he said, kissing her. "I'll miss you with every breath I take…don't go hooking up with any hot Cali boys, ok?"
"Of course not…don't go hooking up with Peyton" Brooke said, making Lucas laugh.
"I love you, Brooke Penelope Davis" Lucas whispered. "Never forget that"
"I love you too" Brooke whispered back.
"Flight 365 to Los Angeles now boarding" the voice on the intercom blared.
"That's me" Brooke whispered. She grabbed her carry-on, kissed Lucas, and walked to where the flight attendant was checking boarding passes. As she walked down the tunnel to the plane, she turned and around to wave and desperate as she was to be strong for Lucas, she felt a tear escape her eye.
"I think I just watched my life walk away" Lucas laughed bitterly.
"Luke…don't ever forget what Brooke said…people who are meant to be always find their way back in the end"
A/N: Review!