Once Brooke reached the three girls behind the counter, she heard the café door open and close and knew that Peyton and Lucas had left…together. Though she thought she was over the drama, Brooke was a little sad about the whole thing. She began zoning out again when suddenly she felt two familiar arms around her waist. "It's okay sweet heart. Even though he's my son, I am totally on your side. What he did was wrong. I love him with all my heart, but I love you just as much. You're like a daughter to me and I just want to see you happy," Karen said as she turned Brooke around to give her a proper hug. Once Karen pulled out of the hug she gave Brooke a motherly smile and then continued to talk. "So sweetie, I haven't seen you in few days. What have you been up to?"

"Sorry about that. I meant to call and check in, but I totally forgot. I've been staying with Haley and Charlie. We've just been hanging out," Brooke replied as she began searching for the two they were talking about. When she came over, Haley and Charlie were standing here, but now it appears they had walked off.

Karen nodded and smiled at Brooke, "The three of y'all have been spending quite a bit of time together then, huh?"

When Brooke began to think and talk about Haley, she began to smile and glow. This sudden change from sad to happy did not go unnoticed by Karen. "Yeah, she's really great. I've never met anyone quite like her before. And Charlie must be the most well behaved three year old ever. I love them, I really do."

"And we love you too Brooke," Haley replied as she walked up behind Brooke.

Not wanting to feel left out, Charlie joined in, "Yeah! We wuv you too Auntie Bwookie!" Charlie cheered as she jumped out of Haley's arms and ran into Brooke's open ones.

Once Brooke lifter Charlie, she turned to Haley and asked, "Where'd you guys go? One second you're here and the next you're gone."

"Well, first of all I felt that you and Karen needed a moment alone. Second of all, Missy Charlie here had to go potty. Anyway, I'm about to start my shift." Haley replied. Though the mother had pretty much spent the last several days with Brooke, she was looking forward to talking with her at the café before her shift.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll just go on home then. If you want to, I can watch Charlie until you get off," Brooke said wanting any reason to play with the little girl and also therefore forcing Haley to see her again before the day was over.

Before Haley could reply, Charlie began yelling, "Oh pwease, pwease, pwease mommy! Can I go wif Auntie Bwookie?" When Charlie looked at Haley with those big blue eyes there was not one thing that Haley could deny her daughter.

"Okay, fine. But only because it's Friday and you don't have daycare tomorrow because I know Auntie Brookie if going to give you loads of caffeine and sugar," Haley replied happily. "Here give mommy a hug and a kiss before you leave okay Peanut?"

Haley reached her arms out and Charlie jumped into them after wriggling out of Brooke's strong grasp. "Otay, mommy. I wuv you!" Charlie said as she wrapped her tiny arms around her mother's neck while kissing her.

"I love you too Pumpkin. Be good for Auntie Brookie okay?" Haley asked as she put Charlie back down.

"I will mommy. I will."

Haley smiled warmly as she watched Charlie walk back to Brooke and take her hand. Haley then spoke to Brooke, "Hey, thanks for doing this. I owe you big time."

"Anytime, but it's really no problem. I wouldn't have offered it I didn't want to do it. Anyway, you know I love Charlie. But I may take you up on that offer. I get pretty lonely at night ya know," Brooke replied as she winked at Haley and turned around to walk towards the door. When she turned to look at the auburn haired girl, she could almost swear that she saw Haley blush.

"Wait Auntie Bwookie, I forgetted something!" Charlie said as she turned and ran back behind the counter. Once there she latched onto Karen's legs nearly making the older woman fall down. "I wuv you too Karen!" Charlie said as she looked up at Karen and smiled.

While looking down into those stunning blue eyes, Karen realized that she would forever be wrapped around this little girl's finger. She reached down and picked up the small girl. "I love you too Princess," Karen replied as she felt Charlie kiss her on the cheek and then wrap her tiny arms around her neck. Karen realized that she was beginning to think of Charlie as a surrogate granddaughter like she thought of Brooke as a daughter and was beginning to feel like Haley was a daughter as well. Karen could no longer imagine her life without these three girls just as much as she couldn't imagine her life without Lucas.

Karen sat Charlie back down on the ground and watched her skip back to Brooke and take her hand once more. "Otay buh-bye evewybody. I see you lata awigata!" Charlie yelled as she began pulling Brooke towards the door.

Before the two girls walked out, Brooke called back to Haley, "Okay Hales, just call my cell when you get off and I'll tell you where we are." After that being said, Brooke winked once more and blew a kiss in the direction of Haley…and Karen.

The owner and the newest employee of the café stood for several moments and watched as Brooke and Charlie disappeared around the side of the sidewalk. Haley was the first to speak up, "It's kind of quiet and boring without them around isn't it?" Haley asked as she looked at Karen.

Karen glanced at Haley and saw a look of loneliness briefly pass over it. "Yeah, it kind of is. But at least we have each other to keep us company," Karen replied as she tried to encourage Haley. Wanting to find out what was wrong and to help Haley, Karen asked about her sudden change in attitude, "Haley, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Haley quickly snapped out of her daze and looked up at Karen. At first she was going to say nothing like she usually did, but once she looked into Karen's eyes, she realized that all the older woman wanted to do was help her. "Well, it's kind of stupid but I guess I'll tell you. Um, other than taking Charlie to daycare, this is the first time that I have let anyone else take Charlie anywhere. I'm just a little scared is all," Haley replied honestly as she looked at Karen with tears glistening in her eyes.

Karen immediately went into mother mode, "Oh sweetheart. You don't have to worry about Brooke and Charlie. They adore each other. And trust me, Brooke would die before she let anything happen to that little girl of yours. Brooke doesn't like to admit this, but she loves children. She wants tons of kids when she finds that special someone. But trust me, your daughter is in safe hands," Karen reassured Haley as she wrapped her in a long hug.

After a few moments, Haley responded to Karen, "I know. It's not that I don't trust Brooke or that I'm afraid something will happen to Charlie. It's just that I never thought I would find someone like her ya know? I mean, someone I do trust enough to allow her to take my child for the whole day. I'm scared because not that I've let her into my heart, I'm afraid that she will break it just like my family and my other friends did back in Bowdon." Haley had never been this open with anyone other than Brooke and Charlie before, but Karen was different. Karen was more of a mother to Haley in the past week than her own mother had been in her whole life.

"Well, you can trust me on this, Brooke probably feels the exact same way. If usually takes a long time to let someone in, but with you and Charlie it was completely different. I don't even think she was even ever this close to Peyton or Lucas. I don't know if you know them but those are the two people who she was talking to earlier. Peyton was her best friend and Lucas, my son, was her boyfriend," Karen said as she continued to hold Haley. She couldn't help but be glad that it was very slow on Fridays until about four o'clock in the afternoon.

Haley suddenly pulled back from Karen and looked up at the slightly taller woman. "Wait, Lucas, the jackass who cheated on Brooke with her best friend, is your son?" Haley asked expectantly.

"Yeah, that 'jackass' is my son. But don't worry because I consider Brooke like my daughter since she has pretty much lived at my house since kindergarten when she and Lucas met, and I'm on her side. I think he's a jackass too for what he did to her heart. But that's why I'm so glad you and Charlie are here because you guys seem to be repairing the damage that he did. The two of you need to just watch out for each other," Karen replied, not knowing about what happened between Haley and Rachel and how Brooke stepped up and saved her.

"Yeah, I think we got that part covered," Haley said quietly but didn't go any further than that. Haley just didn't want to relive what went on that day just yet. Wanting to change the subject, Haley quickly spoke up, "So, what do we do around here while we wait for people to show up?"

Karen noticed the quick change in attitude, but decided to just play along instead of pushing it, "Well, typically we would clean or cook. However, all cleaning and cooking is done for right now so we just wait. Actually, I have to do some paper work in my office, so do you mind holding down the fort while I take care of that?"

"No, not at all. I'll just put on some music and I'll be right as rain," Haley replied as she watched Karen retreat to the rear of the café. Once Karen was out of site, Haley figured that she could enjoy her free time so she turned to a nearby radio and put it on her favorite station and quickly found a song she liked and she began to sing and dance along.

Haley didn't realize that customers had walked into the café until she heard to clapping behind her. Twirling around almost too swiftly, Haley promptly glared at the two people who were stand there. Peyton was standing with her hands in her jacket pockets while Lucas was clapping and smirking rather cockily. "You're really good. You're name is Haley right?" Peyton said as she walked towards the nearest booth after slapping Lucas on the back of the head.

"Um yeah. That's me," Haley replied as she made her way over to the booth to serve Lucas and Peyton who had already made themselves comfortable. Not wanting to be nice to the people who broke Brooke's heart, but also knowing that Lucas was Karen's son and she didn't want to loose her job, "Haley asked as nicely as she could as she took out her notepad, "So, what can I get for you two?"

Lucas, ever the gentleman, ordered for himself and for Peyton, "Well, we both want a cheeseburger with fries and sweet tea."

Haley nodded curtly and headed towards the kitchen to get the food and drinks for the traitors.

With food in hand, Haley stalked back to the table. Once there, she roughly sat the food in front of each person. As she turned and stalked back to the kitchen, Haley heard a voice call out to her. As she turned around, she realized that it was Lucas who had called her name, "Look, what is your problem? We haven't done anything to you. Hell, we even help you out today at school when Rachel attacked you. If anything, I think that Peyton and I deserve your thanks."

Before Haley responded, she heard the bell above the door ring as another customer entered the café. Deciding to just let Karen take care of it, Haley ignored it and didn't even turn around to look at the person who had just entered. Slowly, the short, auburn haired girl advanced toward the table. "First of all, I didn't ask you to help me. Second of all, I'm sorry, but I just don't like cheaters and backstabbers so excuse me if I seem a little cold towards you."

This statement seemed to infuriate Lucas as he stood up out of his seat and towered over Haley in an attempt to intimidate her. "Look, first of all, don't act like you care about or know Brooke. You've been here all of two seconds. Second of all, it's none of your god damned business. And third of all, we didn't mean to hurt her. We were going to tell her but it just was never the right time."

Many people would have expected Haley to back down and give up, but Haley knew that she had to stand up for Brooke because obviously no one else was. "Look, I may not have been here for long, but in the past week, Brooke has been a better friend to me than I've ever had. She took me in under her wing. I was a new girl with a daughter in a strange town that I knew nobody in. Brooke is the only person with a big enough heart to care for us. Even though all the crap that she has been going through with you cheating her with her best friend, she has been here for me no matter what. She didn't judge me like ever other person I have ever met has. She has a bigger heart than anyone I know. I mean come on, even after what the two of you did to her, she still misses y'all. I honestly don't understand how you could have done something so horrible and vicious to someone with such a big heart. Brooke has a hard enough time trusting people as it is and when she finally lets you both all the way, unconditionally, into her heart, you go off and shatter it into a million pieces. Even if it takes forever, Charlie and I are going to mend the broken pieces that you caused. Nobody deserves what the two of you did to her. Especially not someone as loving, caring, kind, vulnerable, and beautiful as Brooke." Haley took a step forward and looked right into Lucas's eyes, "I hope that you realize what you have lost before it is too late." Haley then looked into Peyton's eyes, "Because it would be a damn shame if you didn't."

After glaring at Peyton and Lucas for a few moments longer, Haley turned to go back to the kitchen. When she turned all the way around, the auburn haired mother came face to face with Brooke. The taller brunette was holding Charlie's sleeping form. When Haley met Brooke's eyes, she noticed that there were shimmering tears in her glistening hazel orbs.

TATHP

A/N: I know, the last two chapters were kinda short, but I just wanted to get something up. I really really liked this chapter and I hope y'all did too. Please r&r w/ any suggestions or anything. I would love to hear what you think. R&R