Author's Note: If you notice, I'm updating pretty often and the reason for that is I really love writing this story and I'm really thankful that the readers (you guys!) are enjoying it. I also want to say thank you for the reviews because it really means a lot to me when you can give me feedback on a story rather than a quick "good story, UD soon" type of thing. So thank you to all those who take the time to write an actual review. Anyway! My timeline is gonna be skipping to weeks and months so I hope it's not too tough to follow.

CHAPTER SEVEN: MY AIM IS TRUE

The concrete floor beneath her made a muted clacking sound with her high heels as she approached the figure sitting at the bench beside the court. She'd contemplated actually going through with the meeting, but as she drove closer to the court, she'd noticed him with his head in his hands and a bottle of whiskey beside him.

"Hey," She greeted him nervously, standing in front of him as she towered above his slumped position.

"Brooke," He looked up and smiled at the beauty before him. There was no doubt he'd ever seen a more beautiful woman than Brooke Davis, but his wife didn't have to know that. He slowly began to stand up and she reached out for his hands, aiding him so he wouldn't stumble backwards.

Clearly, he was drunk.

"I miss you," He said, the alcohol in his breath making her sick as he wrapped her in an embrace, "I really miss you."

She gave a nervous chuckle, becoming uncomfortable with the embrace and she slowly pulled apart from him, "Whoa, let's take a seat."

"No, no, I'm good," He stopped her, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he tried to balance himself.

"I'm not really sure what's going on here, Luke."

"Me neither," He shook his head, his eyes scanning her face, "I don't even know why I married her…"

The words shocked the soul out of her and she was almost speechless, but as Peyton's best friend, she knew she had a duty to say, "Hey, no, don't say that. You love Peyton, you always have. Whatever's going on with you guys right now, I'm sure you'll work it out."

"People that are meant to be together always find their way back in the end, right?" He said to her in a serious tone, trying his best to stand still.

She took a small step back, as if insulted that he'd used her words to describe his relationship with Peyton. The words she meant for only him and herself. She almost had to contain herself with the urge to slap him dead across his face and leave him lying in the middle of the basketball court along with his misery. Although, she didn't fully understand what was happening considering she'd walked in on the couple earlier that evening practically engulfing each other's face that made her sick to her stomach.

As if reading her mind, Lucas suddenly hunched over and vomited in front of her, causing her to step a few feet back to avoid any projection to her Christian Louboutins. Knowing she wouldn't be getting an answer from him at this point, she waited until he was done before she helped him get into the car. All the while, his last words ringing in her ears and slapping her in the face. How dare he say that to her after all these years? After marrying her best friend? After all the hurt and pain he'd put her through.

Her initial idea was to bring him to her car and take him home to his possibly worried wife. But the bitch in her started fumbling for his keys in his pocket as she tried to hold up both their weight together. In these shoes, she was surprised she wasn't knee deep in the ground. At this point, she'd reached his car parked beside hers and she held on to him long enough to open the door to the backseat. This was her second idea: she pulled him towards her and slowly sat him down in the backseat of the car, his feet still planted on the ground under her. She'd decided to leave him in his car at the River Court, rather than being the best friend she's supposed to be and taking him home.

No, not this time. She'd had enough. The fight at the wedding was one thing, but being the one that has to save both Peyton and Lucas whenever their relationship showed hints of crumbling was too much for her to take. And those words. Those damn words she wished she'd never said to him had she known he'd use it to describe he and Peyton's relationship. It made her want to drive to the couple's house and slap Peyton across the face for being a backstabbing best friend and taking the love of her life away from her. She wanted so badly to scream every time he touched her, especially when he was constantly there for her while she had Angie.

And suddenly, everything had changed. Once they'd realized they wanted to be together and get married, Brooke had become the black sheep once again, burying herself in her work to keep her mind off Lucas Scott. She couldn't stand it anymore. She wanted to hate him. So badly. For all the selfish things he'd done to her. For breaking her heart to a million pieces that has taken her years to put back together.

She'd completely helped him into the car and Lucas was slowly lowering himself to lay down against the leather interior of that damn Comet he and wife now share. Pfft, she thought to herself as she made sure he'd completely made his way inside. She hadn't realized he'd gotten a grip on her hand and he slowly pulled her in, almost making her body fall directly on top of his. She hesitated to move closer, remembering what happened the last time she'd taken care of him while he was drunk in New York.

Surprisingly, he'd stayed down on the car despite the hold he had on her hand as she tried to pull it away. As soon as his encircled fingers had come undone from her wrist, she heard him mumble and say her name. She didn't deem it important so she stood up straight, looking at him as he laid in the car before she shut the door. How could someone so helpless treat her like she had no feelings?

Right before she made the move to close the car door and walk away, his voice suddenly spoke loud enough for her to hear, "I love you, Brooke Davis. I always have, I always will." Words that sliced her for the thousandth time.

And with that, she'd decided right then and there that she officially hated Lucas Scott.


"I've decided to take you up on that offer." She walked up to the bar, determined to make her night better.

Dean whirled around from his same seat at the bar, and a smirk crawled on his face, "Atta girl." He gestured for her to sit beside him and she obliged, wondering why he'd been sitting there for hours.

"What's your story?" She asked him, waiting for the bartender to order her drinks. She placed her purse on the seat beside her and then turned her attention to Dean.

"Well," He started, swirling the glass of Jack Daniels in his hand, "I've been trying to figure out how to get Rae to talk to me again."

"Ah," She nodded, remembering her conversation earlier at the store, "I bet I could give you a hint that works about 95% of the time when you say it to a woman."

"Please, do share," He said, interested in the secret weapon she was about unveil.

"You ready?" She asked, her eyebrow raising as she leaned in closer to him, "Try saying you're sorry." The look on his face mocked her and she laughed, "Seriously, Dean? Come on."

"I don't…I don't do that kind of stuff," He defended himself, annoyed that she'd tricked him. "I'm learning here."

"You could always ask Nathan. He's had this share of fuck ups with Haley; trust me, he's used Sorry more times you can count." She nodded, impatiently waiting to order her drink. Seeing Owen across the bar, with a redhead flirting shamelessly with him, she called out his name, "Hey! Bartender!"

Owen turned to find the familiar face with a pissed off expression and he lazily strolled towards her, "Drinks aren't on the house anymore, lady."

She glared at him as she blindly reached for her credit card in the pocket of her purse. Handing it to him, she didn't dare remove her eyes from his, "The name's Brooke Davis, not lady. And I'm not here to get anything for free. So go do your job and pour me a Long Island Iced Tea and keep my tab open."

Owen obeyed and took the credit card from her hand, surprised at her actions. She watched him walk away and turned her attention back to Dean. "Where were we?"

Dean was wide-eyed at her display, "Gee, do I even wanna know? Oh, what the hell. What's your story, lady?"

She made a face at him as Owen placed her drink in front of her. She barely gave him a thank-you smile before she began to speak, "I'm not even going to sugar coat this, but I've seriously had it with men."

Dean opened his mouth in defense, "Hey, we're not all bad."

"You don't even know how to apologize, Dean," She countered, "I'm just…I'm done. I'm better off being by myself, that way I know I won't break my own heart."

"Someone must've done a number on you, huh?" Dean asked, genuinely curious to the troubled woman's defensiveness.

"Once or twice, or ten times. I can't keep track," She said, half-jokingly, as she took a drink from her glass. "And you know what's worse? I feel like I'm not moving forward. I keep getting sucked back into the love triangle from hell."

"You talking about Lucas?" He suddenly asked her.

She tilted her to the side in confusion, "Why would you say that?"

"Because, not too long ago, he came storming out of Peyton's office and had the entire bar staring at them because Peyton was screaming her head off about you," Dean clarified, causing Brooke to grow even more confused than she'd come in.

"Wait, what?" She asked, shifting in her seat.

"I'm not joking. They were fighting and he just left." He took a drink of his Jack Daniels before continuing, "You guys have serious drama here in Tree Hill."

"Tell me about it," She agreed, "Only in Tree Hill will someone take care of her dead best friend's family as if it were her own."

Dean nodded, and she wasn't sure if she sounded harsh or just honest. Frankly, Nathan and the kids were the closest she's ever had to a normal family life and as much as she hates that Haley is gone, she deemed it a blessing in disguise.

Only thirty-minutes had gone by and Brooke was up to her fourth drink, worrying Dean as she struggled to stay upright on the barstool. The last half-hour was spent with her mouthing off about her life, her company, and the sucky men that seemed to find their way into it. She even made a reference to Owen, saying how much she hated cowards who run off with a single phone call. Dean, obviously, didn't understand, but he knew a broken heart when he saw one. It'd happen to him once before and he'd never allowed himself to completely heal from it.

This girl, though, he believed she still had a chance. As she continued to complain about Lucas and unconsciously revealing to Dean what he'd said in the car to her earlier, Dean took it upon him to close her tab and take her home. She may never back down from a challenge, but when alcohol's her rival, she was sure down for the count.


The sound of the doorbell at midnight woke him up from him sleep and he rushed downstairs to find the offender he feared would wake the kids. Rubbing his eyes from the sudden wake, he opened the door to find Dean on the other side.

"Where do you want her?" Dean asked, gesturing to the passed out woman he'd been holding up in one arm.

Nathan quickly woke up from the sight of Brooke beside his friend while Dean clarified the situation to remove the surprise from Nathan's face, "She got plastered at Tric. I would take her home but I figured I'd rather give you the trouble."

"Uh, sure," Nathan agreed, as Dean handed her off to him like a care package. Saying his goodbye, Dean turned on his heels and headed to his waiting car at the end of the driveway.

He could smell the alcohol mixed with her perfume and Nathan knew he couldn't get her to walk to the guest room even with assistance. So he quickly bent down and placed one arm under her legs, sweeping her up as the other arm cradled her back carefully as her head curled into his chest. He closed the front door with his foot, kicking it behind him as he carried her towards the guest room to lay her down.

Lowering her onto the bed, he took off the red high heels she'd been wearing all day. He adjusted her body so she would be lying slightly to her side and pulled the covers up to her chest. He wondered why she'd been at Tric and what made her decide to drink enough to pass out, and he unconsciously brushed her bangs out of her face, revealing a flawless face with a peaceful expression. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. The last time he'd seen her passed out from drinking was the time his father threw a party in honor of the basketball team back in high school. It was a bittersweet memory and he found his eyes lingering on her face longer than he'd expected. He cleared his throat without thinking and she slightly fidgeted at the sound. Her eyes slowly fluttered as he sat still, hoping she wouldn't wake, but her movements told otherwise.

She began to wake up and her eyes grew confused as she scanned the room she was in. It eventually landed on Nathan's face as her vision became clear once again despite the pounding in her head. "Nate?"

"Hey," He responded, "You're in the guestroom."

She started to sit up slowly and positioned herself upright, as she placed a hand on her head indicating the throbbing pain she was experiencing. "Dean brought you here." He clarified and she closed her eyes, knowing she'd slip in and out of consciousness.

"Mmm," were the only words that came from her lips and he placed one hand under her back to lower her down once again.

Her eyes opened slightly and without thinking, she pressed her lips against his for a few seconds before he had a chance to react. A strange feeling came over Nathan and his mind suddenly wondered if this counted as adultery. He blinked his eyes as she pulled away, and he could swear he saw a smile on her face as her head eventually fell back on the pillow once again as she slept off the troubles from the night's events.


The sound of her cell phone ringing was piercing her ears as her arm blindly searched for it on the bed. Nathan laid her purse beside her and she whipped it out in time for the last ring to end, "What?"

"Hey, grouch," the voice said on the other line, "Sorry I missed your call last night."

Brooke groaned into the phone, "Peyton, can we have this conversation later? I've got a massive headache and just…your voice…I can't."

"Well, gee, thanks," Peyton answered, mildly offended by her best friend's words, "I just wanted to call and say that Lucas and I got into a fight, then we made up, and now we're back to fighting."

"Great," Brooke replied, her eyes still shut, annoyed that Peyton didn't get the obvious hint.

"Great? Brooke, you okay?"

"Peyton, I'm sorry, but I can't do this right now. I can barely form words in my head let alone speak them so please? I'll talk to you later." Without waiting for her reply, Brooke hung up the phone and turned it off. Truthfully, she wanted to know what the second fight was about since, according to Dean, it involved her name being thrown around. But right now? She wanted to get some more sleep and fight off the feeling of someone stomping on her head.

Shutting the door behind him, Lucas Scott walked through the living room of the house as he headed to the bedroom to get more sleep. Before reaching the door, Peyton called out his name from the kitchen and appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Where were you?" Her voice was somber and her eyes clearly showed signs of a night full of tears, "I was worried about you."

Lucas redirected himself from the bedroom door towards the kitchen, an apologetic expression on his face, "I'm sorry, babe. I just…I was at the River Court."

"All night?" Her voice resembled a whine, "I was so worried when you just stormed off, but I was too mad to go after you, I'm just—"

Lucas put a hand on her face and caressed it gently, "Ssh, it's okay. I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean those things that I said. You know I love you."

She pulled him in closer in an embrace, "I know. I love you too. I just don't want to go back to that. Everything's going so good…" She trailed off as Lucas listened to her words while he stroked her hair. He'd like to lie to himself and say he didn't see Brooke Davis last night. He'd also like to lie to himself and claim that he never said he'd always love her. But the one thing he wanted to lie to himself about the most was the fact that as he held his wife in his arms, a part of him wished she was someone else.


The noise coming from the kitchen woke her up from her not so peaceful slumber as she straightened the dress she'd worn from the night before while she looked at the mirror hanging adjacent to the bed. Her eye make-up was surprisingly still intact, but her lip gloss was already long gone. Reaching for the doorknob, she opened the door and headed towards the sound of voices.

"Hey there, sleeping boozy," Dean greeted Brooke as she grumpily walked to sit beside him in on a stool at the kitchen counter.

Jamie looked up from eating his cheese ravioli that Rae cooked for lunch and wrinkled his eyebrows at the sight of his godmother, "Aunt Brooke, did you fall out of bed?"

Placing her elbow on the counter and resting her chin on her hand, she replied, "Something like that, buddy." She ran a hand through her messy hair, opting to use the elastic band she had on her wrist to tie it in a ponytail.

"I brought some lunch over," Rae offered, pointing to the foil pan resting on top of the stove, "Cheese ravioli, if you want some."

Brooke waved a hand, her appetite diminished, "I'm fine. I'm actually not in the mood to put any food in my mouth."

"Well, that's good," Dean smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Because I don't want you throwing up near me like you did last night. In my car. On the leather seat. " He made a patronizing face and Brooke groaned at what she'd done.

"Anyway," Brooke changed the subject, "where's Nathan?"

"Daddy's giving Gracie a bath," Jamie answered in between bites, "We're going swimming after I have lunch."

"Hey, not for another hour, bud," Dean corrected him, "You don't wanna drown, do you?"

"Grandpa Dan says that's not true," Jamie countered back, causing Brooke to chuckle at her godson's admiration for his grandfather, "He says adults only say that to scare kids."

"Well," Dean began, cocking his head to the side, suddenly becoming defensive, "You tell your Grandpa Dan that Uncle Dean says—"

"Hey!" Rae cut in, waving her arm to stop Dean, causing him to hold his hands up and frown at her for doing so. She glared at him momentarily before looking down at Jamie, "Adults don't say it to scare kids, Jamie. Adults say things like that because we care about your safety and want you to be careful."

Brooke smiled at the kid-friendly explanation and snickered when Dean rolled his eyes. The answer was good enough for Jamie as he finished the rest of his cheese ravioli and hopped off the barstool. Before running to exit the kitchen, he turned to the three adults watching him, "Come on, Aunt Brooke! Help me get ready to go swimming!"

Brooke pretended to groan as she lazily got up from the stool, straightening her dress from last night, "All right, crazy kid. Let's go." She tousled his hair before he sprinted up the stairs and she hurriedly followed him.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she saw Jamie's feet running into his room just as Nathan came out of the bathroom down the hallway, holding Gracie in his arms. Brooke made an impressive face as he covered the baby girl in a towel and greeted her with a smile, "How you feelin'?"

Brooke shrugged, lightly tickling Gracie's tummy as she lay in her father's arms, "I'd feel better as soon as I go home and take a shower. Jamie wants me to help him get ready before you all go swimming and I'll head home afterwards."

"Really?" Nathan asked, surprised, "Why don't you stay? Swim with us. It'll be fun."

"Uh, Nathan," She waved her hands towards her body from head to toe, showcasing the clothes she'd worn the previous night, "this girl needs a shower. I look disgusting."

"Nonsense," He made a disagreeing face, "You can take a shower here. There's some extra clothes in the guest room that Haley put away." Before replying, he headed towards the nursery to dress Gracie, leaving Brooke in the hallway to contemplate his request.

"Aunt Broooooke?" She heard Jamie's voice drag her name out in his room in a whiny voice, "Can you put this stuff on my back, please?"


The married couple sat at the dining room as soon as Peyton finished preparing their lunch. Lucas gave a thankful smile at the meal before him and she sat across from her husband, glowing with pride at her achievement.

"I'm so glad your mom gave me that recipe book," She started, "Now I'm gonna have to attempt to make all the stuff that's in there!"

Lucas chuckled as he took a bite of the chicken parmesan she made, "I'm glad you're getting the hang of this cooking thing. I do expect a meal at the table whenever I come home…" His joke made her throw a napkin at him just as the phone rang.

Standing up to get it, Peyton reached for the phone and answered, "Hello?"

Lucas didn't let this interrupt his meal as he continued to scarf down the contents of his plate. He noted the excitement of Peyton's voice behind him and she hung up the phone in less than five minutes. Rather than returning to her seat, she stood beside her husband and clasped her hands together, "Luke…"

He looked up at her, curiously, "Everything okay?"

She nodded with a thrilled smile on her face, "Someone wants to buy the house."

"What?" He stood up in shock, "That's—that's great!"

The smiles on their faces were wide with joy as they hugged once again. Releasing herself from the embrace, Peyton cleared her throat and continued, "There's a catch, though."

With a questioning look, she clarified herself, "I know we haven't even found that perfect house for us yet, but the new owners want to move in by next week."


Brooke smiled wondrously at the baby girl who was sitting contently in her car seat as she rocked it slowly. The sun was shining brightly in the late afternoon while Jamie, Dean, Rae, and Nathan kept themselves cool in the swimming pool.

"Jump in, Aunt Brooke!" Jamie shouted from the deep end, splashing his arms around despite the floaties keeping him from going under, "Come on!"

"Yeah, Aunt Brooke!" Dean excitedly mocked him, splashing around like a child.

Rae and Nathan laughed as they all urged her to join them, but she declined, "I have to watch Gracie, guys!"

"She'll be fine," Nathan assured her, "have some fun, Brooke Davis."

"Are you saying I don't have fun?" She asked, getting defensive.

"He's saying you're boring!" Dean put in his two cents as he picked up Jamie and threw him back down in the water. "If you don't jump in, I'll get you myself!"

"Ha-ha," Brooke struck back, "I'll pass, guys. I just took a shower…"

"Ah, drop the excuses," Nathan said to her as he got out of the swimming pool, making his way to the two, "I'll watch her, jump in."

"Geez, what's with you guys? Can't a girl not want to swim?" Her eyes made contact with the other three left in the water, "Really, I'm fine."

Dean tossed a foam football at Rae and she caught it just as it almost hit the water, and proceeded to raise it in the air in victory. Jamie cheered her on as she tossed it back to Dean, who completely missed when it flew over his head. Jamie laughed at the sight of his Uncle Dean swimming towards the floating ball and Brooke smiled at the sight of her godson.

Nathan took a seat beside her, leaving space between them to avoid getting her soaked. "Jamie seems to be doing good, huh?"

He watched his son laugh and play in the water as he replied, "He's got good people around him. He talks to her, you know? It helps him sometimes."

She nodded, admitting she'd done it a few times, "I know how it is. Sometimes I feel like my company's just not gonna move any further, and I…ask Haley for help." She paused for a moment as his eyes stayed on hers, "It sounds stupid, but hey, it's what gets me through my dark days."

Nathan didn't respond, but Brooke knew words didn't need to explain that he understood more than anyone in the world. The silence surpassed them for a few more seconds before Brooke caught a glimpse of the foam football being tossed in the air by Jamie and landing on the concrete near her.

"Aww, man," Jamie whined, although it didn't sound too convincing to her ears, "throw it back in, Aunt Brooke! Please?"

Brooke hesitated for a moment as Rae and Dean's eyes watched her like hawks. She didn't sense Nathan budge beside her, so she cautiously stood up and walked over to the football, her eyes closing in on it as she reached for the wet toy. As she picked it up, Jamie suddenly began to giggle and before Brooke could figure out why he'd done so, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and her feet came off the ground in a swift motion right before she hit the pool and was completely engulfed by the cold water.

Surfacing, and wiping her face from the water dripping from her hair, she caught Nathan surfacing as well with a smile on his face, prompting her to cup her hands and splash water towards him. "You're such a jerk!" She shouted in the midst of all the laughter surrounding her as Nathan tried to avoid her attack.

Jamie was now sitting on Dean's shoulders, laughing uncontrollably, "You should've seen your face, Aunt Brooke! You look like you saw a monster!"

"A monster, huh?" She began, brushing her wet hair from her face, "I'll show you monster!" She took a few steps towards Dean and pushed him lightly, knocking the boy down from his shoulders. She reached for Jamie, but he was too busy splashing her by kicking his feet and moving his arms about wildly. As she got a hold of him, she wrapped her arms around her godson and tickled him feverishly, causing more laughter to erupt from the pool's other occupants before Nathan exited the pool once again to watch over his daughter.


Jamie was so tired from the craziness in the swimming pool that he'd fallen asleep on the couch in the living room. Brooke laid down Gracie in her crib for a nap just as Rae and Dean left the house and Nathan had taken another shower. Brooke stood beside the crib, wearing the extra clothes she found in the guestroom that had dried up from being tossed in the pool earlier. Her hand was stroking Gracie's arm, taking in the beautiful child sleeping before her.

"I'll watch her. Go ahead and take a shower…again." Nathan walked in the room, his hair still damp and ruffled from the bath he'd taken.

She chuckled without turning around, "Yeah, thanks for pushing me in, by the way. Very mature, Scott."

"I didn't push you in," He corrected her, "I carried you in. Admit it, you had fun."

"Whatever," She made a face at him as he took a seat on the small couch in the nursery, "Thanks for letting me stay last night. Although, I didn't quite comprehend how I got here until Dean told me earlier."

"Yeah, he kinda showed up at the door at midnight, with you passed out in his arms," He remembered the previous night's events. Curiously, he asked, "What possessed you to drink that much, anyway?"

She shrugged, "Regressing to my high school days, obviously," She felt mildly embarrassed that anyone had seen her like that, but couldn't help how it got to that point.

"Did anything happen last night after you left?"

Turning to face him, she blurted it out before she even had time to think about, "I saw Lucas last night."

Her tone and stiff posture let him know that the night was less than pleasant. He patted the space next to him on the couch and she willingly took a seat, sighing and clasping her hands together as she recalled the night's events. "Didn't turn out so well, huh?"

She shook her head, "Not so much. He asked me to meet him at the River Court after I left your house. He sounded drunk and I just…I wanted to make sure he was okay."

"You sure have a weakness for people in distress…." He pointed out, half-jokingly.

She elbowed him playfully before continuing, "Anyway, he was a complete mess. Mumbling about how much he hates Peyton—"

"Whoa, his wife, Peyton?" Nathan asked, shocked at his brother's words.

"The one and only," She replied, "But he was drunk and you say and do stupid things when you're drunk. You know? You don't mean them and there's no meaning behind them. They're just incoherent mumbo jumbo that people do because…they suck."

Nathan slightly chuckled before returning to a serious state, "What exactly did he say?"

Brooke had her eyes on the floor, finding it strange she's talking to Nathan about his brother. She recalled the previous night's events and it almost made her stomach turn. "He told me…that he loves me, and he always will." The very words coming out of her mouth shocked her once more, hoping he hadn't really said it. She waited for a response from Nathan, but only got a sigh of exasperation.

"Typical of him, right?" He stated, "He could never make up his mind when it came to you two."

Brooke crooked an eyebrow, "Um, if that was your attempt at making me feel better…you really suck at it."

He laughed, apologizing as he continued, "I'm sorry, but it's true. He's already married and he still can't make up his mind. As much as I love him because he's my brother, I just don't think he deserves someone like you."

It was as if she'd entered an alternate universe as soon as she heard him say those words. She didn't know if she was shocked that someone gave her that type of compliment or if it was because Nathan Scott was the one who did so.

"Someone like me?" She asked, as if she still couldn't believe he'd said that.

"Yeah," He answered, "He's had two chances and he messed those up. In my opinion, he's not worth taking another chance with. I'm sure he'll always have a piece of your heart, but he doesn't deserve all of you." He said it so matter-of-factly, and she almost pinched herself to wake up if this was all a dream.

Brooke fidgeted in her seat and realized Nathan wasn't done talking, "But, hey, you're old enough to decide for yourself. If Lucas is the one, the by all means, I'll try to prepare myself for world war five. If he's not, then I hope you do find that someone. You deserve all the happiness in the world, Brooke Davis. I mean that."

The shock had finally surpassed her and a genuine smile found itself on her face, knowing how much her and Nathan's friendship had finally blossomed after all these years, "Thanks, Nate. That really means a lot to me."

He gripped his hand on her shoulder and gave it a quick rub before standing up, "I'm gonna go order some pizza for dinner. You know where to find some extra clothes, right?" She nodded her head and watched him exit the room, and her eyes reverted back to the floor as Lucas's words replayed in her mind.


"I can't believe someone wants to buy the house right away…" Lucas sat on the couch, still dumbfounded by the news, "Can they do that?"

Peyton chuckled, "The house has been on the market for a few months now. And you said you wanted to start somewhere new."

"Yeah, but that somewhere new doesn't even exist," Lucas added, "Peyton, we haven't even found our new house yet."

"Technically," She was quick to correct him as she reached for his hand, "We did find a house that we both loved. The one by the water? It was beautiful!"

Lucas nodded in agreement, "It was beautiful…" He still couldn't grasp the fact that he and his wife were now expected to move out by next week. Looking around the living room, his eyes caught the numerous photographs of his family as they lived in the house since he was a little boy. This house had many stories to tell, from childhood up until now. Moving out in one week just didn't give him enough time to say goodbye to it all.

"Luke?" She interrupted his thoughts, "What are you thinking about?"

"Just how hard it's gonna be to let go of everything," He answered her, dismally.

"I think it's time, Luke," She returned, moving closer to him to lean her head on his shoulder, "You gotta let go sometime."


Brooke fumbled through the extra clothes in the dresser downstairs, hoping to find something that would fit her. Most of them were Haley's maternity clothes from her pregnancy with Jamie that she'd used again when she was pregnant with Gracie. It was only by luck that she found a pair of jeans and t-shirt earlier in the closet, only to have it be wet when she was thrown into the pool.

Her hand felt a light cotton material and as she pulled it out to take a peek, the red color intrigued her. I always did look good in red, she thought as she revealed the dress before her eyes.

The dress was very familiar, with its V-cut design and ruffled short sleeve. She'd seen the dress before but she couldn't place the moment she'd done so. She held the dress up before her, revealing its full length. And a smile on her face appeared as she remembered when she'd seen it before.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Nathan's voice suddenly appeared from the doorway, with an unpleasant look on his face, "Oh, Nate, I—"

"I hope you're not wearing that." He walked into the room and grabbed the dress from her hands, emitting a shocked look from her face as he did so. "It's Haley's and I don't appreciate you rummaging through her things like that. The extra clothes are in the closet, not this dresser. So don't touch any of it." Without another word, he exited the room, leaving Brooke Davis speechless by the other Scott brother.