FIRST OF ALL SORRY! THE REFORMATIONS TOOK WAY TOO LONG, FINALLY IT ENDED AT THE BEGGINING OF JUNE! IN THE MEANTIME MY BETA MOVED BACK TO HER COUNTRY, GOT A JOB AND WAS SUPER SWAMPED!. I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT IS MY FAV. CHAPTER BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT CAME OUT.

I WANT TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE THAT GAVE ME REVIEWS, ALERT MY STORY, ME AS AN AUTHOR AND OF COURSE PLACED THIS PROJECT AS FAVORITE, ALSO MY ANONYMOUS READERS. SO THANK YOU: , DIANEHERMANS, BRUCAS233, .FAITH, SUPERSTARGIRL7, PRINCESAKARLITA411, ARUBAGIRL0926, BJQ, OTH-BRUCAS-LOVE, MANDEEP, TANYA2BYYOUR21, HAPPYSEATURTLE, WEBBERFAN1, GEMMA945, JOHANNA96, MIELIES88, HARROC83, 08SHARRISON08, CHELL2233, BRUCASALWAYSANDFOREVER, ROBSWIFE11207

SINCE IT´S BEING TOO LONG I WILL MAKE A RECAP! FOR YOU GUYS:

- Lucas and Nathan talks, the last one told him about the Wrath of Brooke.

- Brooke going to the doctor with Haley.

- Brooke and Lucas talk in the school.

- Nathan and Haley House hounting.

- Lucas and Mouth, this last one asking Lucas to comment on the basketball game.

- Nathan, Haley and Deb talking about the house hunting.

- Rachel convincing Brooke to throw a party.

- Nathan and Haley. The first wondering if she is going to go to Rachel´s party.

- Rachel and Brooke gave a party. Where Lucas stopped trying to get Brooke back.

- Karen and Lucas talk, where he decided to leave Tree Hill.

I WISH TO THANKS MY WONDERFUL BETA / TRANSFORMER CASEY FOR THIS AMAZING CHAPTER

DISCLAIMER: I DON´T OWN ANYTHING ABOUT OTH. IT ALL BELONGS TO MARK SCHWAHNN, THE CW, WARNER AND TOLLINS - ROBBINS.

I DON´T EVEN OWN THE SONG THAT BELONGS TO NICK LACHEY, AND HIS RECORD COMPANY. EVERY SONG USED ON THIS CHAPTER BELONGS TO ITS RIGHTFULL OWNER!.

HERE IT IS... ENJOY AND PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, THAT IS THE BEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE ME.

Chapter Nine

Out of the night that covers me,

After last night's decision Luke headed down to the River court – planning on thinking everything through some more when he found the lone figure of Skills already on the concrete court, the orange ball aimed for the hoop.

"Hey Skills," Luke waited until after the ball had cleared through the hoop to startle his friend.

"Hey Luke," Skills threw the ball over. "I'm sorry about the way everything went down with Brooke dawg."

"Thanks," Luke threw the ball towards the hoop. "You know what Mouth said? That he wished that we'd never left the River Court."

"Ya think he was right?"

"I think things would be a lot easier." Luke agreed. "If we never had left, I wouldn't have lost Brooke twice. We wouldn't have lost Jimmy and Keith."

"If you never left the River Court, you'd still be invisible to Brooke dawg – you'd still be Nathan Scott's bastard young brother." Skills put it another way. "You still wouldn't know your brother, rock star Haley Scott would still be bookworm, waitress Haley James. You can't hide from the life you have man, eventually you just have to live it."

"Right," Luke laughed. "I guess when you put it that way."

"Don't sweat it man, look, I've got a feeling there's something about to happen to you. Real big. It's right around the corner. Check." Skills threw the ball across to Luke again, watching him make the point again.

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

Nathan was taking advantage of Haley being at work, sprawled out on the couch with the Play Station 2 controller in his hands; he reached out behind him when the sound of the phone drowned out the noise of the game.

"I'm looking for Nathan Scott," the unfamiliar voice said on the other line.

"Speaking," He muted the television.

"It's Coach K, I've called to discuss the problems you had about accepting the scholarship to come play for me. I've had a lot of long conversations with the Dean and I think we've come to an arrangement that you'll be happy with.

The offer of the full scholarship still stands, since you're a big part of my plans for the next season and he's reviewed your wife's transcripts – and he's ready to offer her a scholarship as well."

Nathan coughed in surprised.

"Because of your circumstances, we can also offer you a place on campus, and if your wife was to pick up a job she would be able to take advantage of the crèche available for school employees."

The coach went silent, and Nathan didn't know what to say.

"How does this sound boy? You haven't changed your mind about playing for us have you?"

"No, no at all sir. This all sounds amazing. It's okay though if I do talk this over with Haley first?"

"Sure, why don't you call me back tomorrow morning when you've both thought it through?"

They talked generally about basketball for a couple more minutes before the coach had a meeting he had to go to. After the phone was back in its cradle, Nathan had pushed himself off the couch – headed for the front door and Karen's café.

I thank whatever Gods may be

Luke entered the school the next morning, waving to a few guys he knew absent-mindedly as he tried to remember his schedule for the day when a sign stuck to one of the concrete columns caught his eye. Muttering to himself, he read:

Want a chance to study abroad and have the opportunity to interact with different cultures? Don't look any further! YOUR OPPORTUNITY IS RIGHT HERE! The Department of Education and Skills in the United Kingdom gives you the chance to finish high school in another country with the possibility to extending it to tertiary education. All you need is to be in your final year of school, with a minimum GPA of 3.8. For more information contact the admissions office.

Reading through it a couple of times, he thought about what a great chance this was; get out of Tree Hill, have a fresh start somewhere new, a chance to forget about Brooke. Yeah, it was a long way to go but maybe that was the solution – he needed to get as far away as possible. He walked away, reminding himself to go to the office before the end of the day.

For my unconquerable soul

Brooke brought her lunch tray out from the cafeteria, towards the same table that she and Haley had sat at since becoming friends, surprising her pregnant friend who was reading through some notes for her next class.

"How's the study going tutor mom? Are you going to graduate with the rest of us?"

Haley looked up from her notes. "I caught up two months ago, Brooke. Didn't I tell you?" She laughed, "I must have forgotten. I'm forgetting a lot of things lately."

"So, after school today – there's no practice and no work, I was thinking a lazy afternoon with movies and ice-cream."

Haley laughed again, "You've already agreed to take me to my doctor's appointment, and then we're going shopping. I know I asked you, because the shopping was your idea. Anything on your mind?"

Brooke laughed it off casually, "I'm just distracted with school. When are we leaving?"

"If you ever need a tutor – I'm here. Can you pick me up from the café at four? Don't forget your car." She teased.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

Luke was headed towards the admissions office, eager for more information about the study abroad program when he ran into Mouth.

"Hey Mouth," he greeted his friend when they almost passed each other without a single word – both too absorbed in their own thoughts to realize their surroundings. "Another girl?" He asked sympathetically, taking his friend's face.

"I think Gigi wants to date me," he blurted out talking about his new (younger) co-commentator. "She's very persistent."

"It's always the quiet ones," Luke laughed. "How do you feel about her?"

"I don't know," Mouth shrugged. "She's a nice enough girl…"

"I say go for it," Luke encouraged. "You're always saying how much you want to be more than just a girl's friend. This is your chance."

Mouth nodded, agreeing, but thinking. "I'm going to go get some lunch." He finally said, having come to a silent decision with himself. "You coming?"

Luke pointed towards the doors to the administration. "I have some things that need to be taken care of first."

When Luke left the office twenty minutes later, his hands full of more information about the study abroad exchange, he knew that this was his chance to do something.

I have not winced nor cried aloud

(As always) it was the same fight between Rachel and Brooke as they walked through the halls of the high school, headed towards their lockers.

"Enough of this already, Brooke," Rachel tried not to snap too much at the pregnant girl. "I can do what I want with my life."

"Not when it screws with the lives of Nathan and Haley and their marriage." Brooke snapped back. "I saw Nate outside the house the other day, what are you doing Rachel?"

"I'm doing nothing," Rachel answered. "Besides, he didn't want it."

"He's not his Uncle," Brooke stopped walking. "Nathan is. not Cooper."

"I can't believe you'd even insinuate that," Rachel drew back into herself, preparing for a fight. "And you need to stay away from my life all the time – or I'll start messing with yours." She threatened.

"You wouldn't dare," Brooke hissed.

Rachel threw her hand out in the direction Luke had been earlier. "Believe me, bitch, I would. I've been telling you to tell him from the start – but haven't done anything because you're my friend. Stay away from my life, and what I do, otherwise if you don't tell him, I'm gonna."

Rachel grabbed what she needed from her locker and slammed the metal door shut so it echoed throughout the hallway, and stalked off – her fiery red hair flying leaving an equally angry Brooke behind.

Under the bludgeoning's of chance. My head is bloody, but unbowed

"I still can't believe that that was my godchild on that screen," Brooke was still in awe as she and Haley browsed through the stores after the smaller girl's doctor's appointment. "It's so cute,"

"I can't believe you cried," Haley had almost perfected the infamous Scott smirk since she'd married Nathan.

"I always get emotional around babies, and weddings," Brooke sniffed a bit – laughing as Haley wrapped her up in a hug as she laughed. "Is he, or she, always so active?" She remembered the image moving around a lot on the screen.

"I think they knew that their godmother was watching."

Brooke laughed, and rubbed her hand over Haley's growing stomach. "I love you too, kiddo." She turned to the baby's mother. "You have all your prescriptions?" She asked more seriously.

"Right next to the ultrasound for Nathan," Haley confirmed, pausing to dig another picture out for Brooke, "and this one for Aunty Brooke."

"Aaw," Brooke smiled at the picture. "So are you guys finding out the sex of my godchild, or not?" She had noticed that nothing had been mentioned at the appointment.

"We decided we wanted the surprise," Haley smiled.

"Have you thought about names?" Brooke was over her emotional period earlier and was bouncing now with excitement.

"Isn't it early for that?" Haley looked down. "I'm not even that big yet."

"It's never too early to start thinking about names," Brooke nodded smiling. "Come on," she dragged her friend towards another store. "I want to do some serious damage to my father's credit cards."

Half an hour later, Brooke was still going even though Haley was ready to collapse into the closest seat she could find; as Brooke turned direction to the next baby store Haley couldn't let out the small whine.

"Brooke, as much as I appreciate all the clothes, I'm hungry and I'm pretty sure you've bought out half the store."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Brooke held up her shopping bags. "I haven't even gone into this one yet."

"The baby has enough clothes to last them the first two years of their life," Haley smiled – running her hand over some onesies as Brooke started searching through the racks. "They aren't going to need to change fifty times a day."

"But just look at this one," Brooke held up the black onesie with the words Rock Star emblazoned on the front. "Oh, and this – "she held up the beanie with Milk Junkie over the front. "It tells everyone that your child is a bad ass not to be messed with." She let out a smile.

Haley smiled at the clothes, normally she'd be against them – but she couldn't help it. They were cute. "Fine," she conceded taking the clothes off her friend. Brooke browsed for a little while longer, finding things that she wanted to buy for her own child, but considering that she couldn't buy them in front of Haley without letting out her secret, she let her friend drag her towards the registers.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

The group, consisting of Nathan, Haley, Mouth, Skills, Fergie and Junk had gathered down at the Rivercourt on Luke's insistence. No one mentioned the absence of Peyton, considering recent event and the new discovery that she had transferred out of school to go live with her dad who had been relocated to Texas for his job.

"Dawg, it's cold." Skills started when everyone was gathered. "What have you got us all out here for, if it's not to play ball."

"I need to tell you all something, and it's easier to do that all at once…" Luke started, pausing to gather his words.

"Well, don't keep us hanging man," Junk urged him on when the blond former basketball star said nothing.

"I'm leaving Tree Hill," Luke put it bluntly.

"We're all leaving man. Graduation's not that far away now." Fergie laughed; most of them had their university acceptances waiting at home, and their bags half packed ready to get away from the small town.

"I'm leaving a bit sooner than that," Luke shrugged, "before graduation."

"This is déjà vu," Mouth noted; remembering the time a couple of years ago when Luke took off for Charlotte with his Uncle claiming a fresh start.

"Where you going?" Skills asked. "LA, New York, Miami?"

"London."

An unnerving silence settled over the group as they processed that. London was an entirely different continent. Luke was actually leaving them.

"I think you need to explain," Haley spoke quietly as he faced six confused faces.

Luke explained to them the program he'd been accepted into, and his need to get away from everything here and that he had his mother's agreement with him that this was a good thing to do. The group was a mix of thoughts. They were sad, shocked, and speechless; and while Haley didn't completely believe that leaving like this was the solution, and others didn't like that it was a girl causing him to leave, they knew that they would support him on this no matter what.

"When are you leaving?" Haley reached up to hug him. "I can't believe I'm saying goodbye to my best friend again."

"Two days," he returned the hug. "It all happened so fast."

"How long are you going to be gone?" Nathan asked his brother.

"I have no idea," Luke confessed the truth. "I could be gone a couple of month, I could be gone a couple of years – it all depends on how much I get out of being somewhere new."

"You're going to miss your godchild, your niece or nephew's birth?" Haley paused as she took in this new piece of information. "They aren't going to know their Uncle Lucas." She started sobbing, her hormones taking over and Nathan wrapped her up in a hug.

"We're not going to stop talking Hales," Luke promised her. "We've been friends since we were eight. Different continents aren't going to stop us. We have letters, and phone calls and they even have this new thing called the Internet and we can Skype and IM each other." He teased.

"We need to throw a party," Skills decided. "Send you away in style."

"We can have it at the Tric," Haley dried her eyes. It was the only place to hold a party in Tree Hill, really, anyway.

"Tomorrow night," Nathan decided. "Around ten pm. Send Luke Scott away in style," he laughed slightly.

Looms but the horror of the shade,

Brooke was sitting cross-legged on her bed, absent-mindedly sketching in her design book as her thoughts flickered to how her baby would look, and who it would resemble more between herself and Luke; and her decision on the Victoria's Secret proposition, whose deadline was rapidly approaching when she looked up to notice the white flag waving from the doorway.

"Is it safe to enter?" Rachel asked. "Can we talk?"

"Talk yes," Brooke sighed. "Fight no."

"I don't want to fight," Rachel agreed, sitting down on the bed next to Brooke. "You were right." She conceded, to Brooke's surprise. They were both feisty, stubborn people and for one of them to concede to the other was big. "I've been extremely stubborn and horrible about this, and I think a part of me is trying to compensate for the loss of Cooper."

"You're off to a good start," Brooke shrugged, failing to conceal a smile as she listened to her friend's apology.

"I'm not like you. I can't throw myself into work to get over a guy. I just rebound to the next one; I'm proof of that saying the best way to get over a guy is to get under a guy. I was…wrong to put that focus on Nathan, who is completely unavailable no matter how hot." She paused for a moment to think about what she had to say next.

"I'd never tell on you to Luke, Brooke. Not when you're the only friend I have here. You were the only to care enough about me to visit me after the accident. So, you know, I'm sorry for everything."

"Apology accepted," Brooke smiled.

"I have another peace offering, just in case the apology didn't work." Rachel added, laughing, as she put the shopping bag she'd brought in with her on top of the bed. She watched Brooke rip into it, un-wrapping a pair of small brown booties, designed to look like the paws of a bear.

"Oh…" Brooke smiled, looking at the delicate things. "They're so cute, and so small."

"The girl said they could be used up to around six weeks," Rachel added. "I wanted to buy you the first thing, my godchild is going to be a spoilt thing before it's even born." She laughed.

"I can't wait to start shopping for the little one," Brooke admitted. "Shopping with Haley for baby clothes just made me excited to start for this one. There's so much cute stuff out there."

"What are you waiting for?" Rachel asked, "Let me know when you want to start – so I can make sure I can come with you." Between the two of them some serious damage could be made.

"Now?" Brooke asked, brightening up at the idea of some more retail therapy. Rachel laughed, and nodded.

"Mouth invited me to a party tomorrow night," Rachel added as they were getting ready to go out. "I don't feel right leaving you though."

"I'm fine," Brooke laughed. "I'm not in a partying mood anyway. I was planning to spend the night in with some movies and ice cream anyway. Just tell me how it went; I don't want to be behind on any gossip." She laughed.

Rachel nodded, "Mouth asked me to go as his date as well."

"He finally asked you?" Brooke's lips turned into an 'O' of surprise. "I never thought he'd get the courage to ask you."

Rachel shrugged, "we're friends I guess." She didn't really know what having real friends were like.

"That boys had a crush on you since you moved here," Brooke informed her friend.

And yet the menace of the years

Nathan and Haley walked into the busy café, picking seats at the counter as they waited patiently for Deb, who was behind the register, to be able to make it over to them.

"Where's Karen?" Haley asked when the place finally quieted down and the older blonde made it over to them.

"With her pregnancy, and Luke leaving so soon – I told her to take some time off, that I'd be happy to help. What can I get you two?"

"We were wondering if we could talk to you actually," Nathan said to his mother. "We've been looking everywhere for places to rent, and they go from somewhere in the expensive range to the really expensive range, and we were wondering if your offer still stood?"

"What offer?" Deb hid her smile, playing oblivious with the young couple.

"To move back in with you," Nathan smirked. "With us both heading to Duke in the fall, we don't need a place full time – and it's useless to be paying for a place we never use when it could go to medical bills."

"I'm glad you two though this through properly. Of course you can still move in with me, I'd be delighted. When are you moving?"

"Sometime this week," Haley answered, "the sooner the better." She smiled at her mother-in-law.

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

"I just want to say a couple of words," the crowd turned towards Luke at the microphone where he'd jumped on stage between songs to grab the microphone.

"You've never been able to say just a couple of words," Skills yelled back from the middle of the floor.

Laughing, Luke shrugged. "It's short, I promise. I just want to thank you all for coming out tonight. I know that me leaving is kind of a sudden decision and that it's surprised all of you, but I'm excited for tomorrow and this new phase of my life.

I don't want to leave any of you, but I know that this change is what I need and I know I'm going to see all of you in the future. You won't be able to keep me away from home for ever." He jumped back off the stage to a round of applause.

"I can't believe you're really leaving tomorrow," Haley sighed when he caught up with his best friend and brother half an hour later after finishing up his goodbyes with Fede.

"I'm gonna miss you, brother." Nathan gave Luke a quick hug, before Haley took over.

"I'm going to miss you too Luke," Haley whispered, "I still don't know how I'm going to do any of this without you."

"I'm gonna miss both of you too."

"I still can't believe you're going to miss the birth of your niece or nephew," Haley grumbled half-jokingly. "Are you sure you can't come back for that?"

"I don't know Hales, probably not." He couldn't lie to his best-friend – especially if it was just going to give her false hope. "You'll have everyone else here though, and I'll be waiting online to Skype with you afterwards. Nothing's going to keep me from meeting him or her."

"It's not going to be the same," Haley sighed, "but if you're sure this is the opportunity of a lifetime."

"You'll both be sure to look after my mother, right?" Luke needed to make sure his mother would be okay after he left. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something bad happened to her and the baby.

"She'll be in the best hands," Nathan promised. "Between us, and my mom and everyone else in this town – you'll both have nothing to be worried about."

Luke nodded, breathing slightly easier than before now that he had that reassurance.

Haley jumped up onto the stage after that, surprising her friend with a mini-concert, recreating the set-list she had played on the infamous tour with Chris Keller; much to the delight of the party and Luke who had always loved to hear her sing.

During the last song, Luke noticed the fiery red hair of Rachel Gatina as she talked to Mouth and as the room erupted in applause, he made his way over to her.

"So you're actually leaving?" Rachel asked, spotting him. "When Mouth invited me, I didn't realize it was a farewell party."

"Not many people knew I was leaving," he shrugged. "It was a surprise farewell party I guess. I actually wanted to talk to you about something quickly."

Rachel arched an eyebrow. "Shoot."

"I need you to take care of Brooke while I'm gone. I know we're finished, and we're not in a good place; and I know I'm kind of leaving to get away from everything here – but I still care about her and I know that she can't count on her family for anything."

"I'll be there," Rachel promised.

Luke nodded, and then pulled an envelope out of his jacket. "I was going to leave this with my mother to give to her later, but I'll give it you now. It's a goodbye letter. She won't listen to me in person, so I'm hoping that when she's ready too she'll be able to read it. You've been a good friend to her Rachel, to me too."

Rachel nodded softly, pocketing the envelope in her bag – wanting desperately to stop him, to tell him the truth about everything but she instead just smiled and said goodbye as he moved on to the next people. She'd tell Brooke, and let her stubborn-ass friend make up her own mind (and possibly ruin her own life).

"You and Luke looked like you were having a serious conversation," Mouth noted as he came back with their drinks.

"Just wanted me to say goodbye to Brooke for him," Rachel answered. "Thanked me for being a good friend." She smiled brightly, taking a big gulp of the drink Mouth had just passed her.

"Do you know where he's going?" Rachel asked, almost as an after-thought.

"London."

Rachel almost spat out her drink. "London, England?" She coughed. "When is he leaving?" She asked quickly, she couldn't let him leave with making Brooke talk to him first.

"I think he's on the Madrid via London flight tomorrow, at like seven in the morning – but I'm not entirely sure. He never really mentioned it much," Mouth looked at her confused. "Why?"

"It's not important, I guess." Rachel started thinking quickly.

Mouth shrugged, "I know it's an early morning flight but that's all. Sorry Rach."

It matters not how strait the gate,

Lucas was standing in the middle of his room, looking around and contemplating all the holes in the room, which once had been full of his things and was now just empty. He knew that maybe he had packed too much, like he was never going to be back; but he couldn't say how long he'd be gone.

He was startled from his thoughts by Karen leaning against the doorframe.

"Did you leave me all the information for the family?" She asked. He picked up a piece of paper he had left on his desk, the address and phone number she'd need for him scrawled on it in his messy handwriting.

"You all ready?" Karen asked, folding the paper in half. "You know you don't need to do this if you don't want to."

"I'm ready as I'll ever be," Luke answered. "This is something that I need to do. That I want to do."

"Okay, are you ready to go now? It's going to take us a while to get through traffic.

"Ma, I need you to promise that you won't come into the airport with me." Luke said to her suddenly.

"But…" Karen started to protest; he was her son but Luke stopped her.

"I don't want you going through that stress. I don't want anything to happen to my little sister or brother."

"Sister," Karen clarified. "You're having a baby sister, I found out yesterday." Luke wrapped his mum up in a hug.

"That's great, ma." He kissed the side of her head. "She's going to be spoilt rotten."

How charged with punishment the scroll.

The farewell party ended well past midnight, and a drunken Rachel didn't get home until at least three a.m., and only because she had a sober Mouth escorting her back. She stumbled her way through the dark house and up the stairs (who put them there?) before she reached her bedroom, collapsing into her bed like a dead weight, succumbing instantly to sleep.

A few hours later she woke with a jump, the sensation that she needed to do something important shocking her system.

"Six?" She mumbled to herself looking at her alarm clock, everything from the night before and what she needed to do slowly coming back through the remaining haze of alcohol. "Fuck!" She scrambled out of bed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Brooke, wake up. Let's go, wake up Brooke."

"Leave me alone," she heard from Brooke's bed a couple of minutes later; the sound muffled by the pillow. "I'm sleeping."

"You can sleep later," Rachel started changing clothes, "but right now you need to wake up and come with me."

Brooke rolled her head to look at her clock. "It's six in the freaking morning Rachel. What's this important?"

Rachel pulled Brooke out of bed, throwing some clothes in her direction, giving her barely enough time to shrug into them before she was pulling her out the door.

"I'll tell you on the way."

They were at least halfway there, when Brooke realized where they were going after passing a sign.

"Why are we going to the airport?"

"Lucas. Luke's leaving town."

"He can do whatever he wants," Brooke tried hard to sound carefree.

"He's leaving the country." The redhead amended. "He feels that if he stays here, he won't be able to forget you. This is the last chance you have to tell him about the baby, and to get back together because you still both love each other and this is getting out of control. No one knows when he's coming back."

Brooke's carefree demeanor faltered, "Are you serious?"

"Would I be awake at this ungodly hour, driving to the airport in traffic, when I'm hung-over, with only three hours sleep if I wasn't serious."

"No." Brooke conceded. Rachel wasn't a morning person on a good day.

"Pass me my bag," Rachel nodded towards her bag on the floor, grabbing at it when Brooke handed it over. She pulled out a white envelope. "This is for you, according to Luke it's a goodbye letter."

"And another CD." Brooke pulled out the plain disc.

"Read the letter," Rachel urged.

Dear Brooke,

This is one of the hardest letters I've ever had to write because how can you say goodbye to person that was, and still is, the most important one in your life? The same person that introduced you to so many new things that until then you didn't know or dare to try, or the one that holds all your first times?

The one that made you realize what true love means and is or just for the sake of not losing her you are willing to become her best friend. All of that for me is you, Brooke. I know that at first I didn't really appreciate you for who you are but that changed the second time around.

During the last time we were together, I was so immensely happy. I thought I had found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I even had the audacity to picture our future together, I saw us living in a big house with a red door in Tree Hill, or wherever you wanted to go and we would have three beautiful kids – two boys and a girl.

You'd be a famous fashion designer, and I'd be a writer; we'd summer in France and have everything we could ever want.

Knowing none of that will happen hurts, but what I think hurts the most is that I wasn't the one you were looking for and for that I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that I hurt you so many times and that I couldn't make you happy like you deserved.

I need to get away, I don't know how long; so I can try and get you out of my heart and mind so that in the future when we meet again we can have a cordial relationship, if not a friendship.

I wish for you to find the man you are looking for, and I hope that he can give you all the happiness I couldn't or didn't know how to give you. I'll try to do the same, find a person that can make me feel even a fraction of the immense happiness that I had when I was with you.

The CD I left best describes how I feel about our breakup. I hope you'll listen to it.

Love you,

Lucas.

Brooke had tears running down her face, and she didn't even bother to wipe them away as she asked Rachel how much longer they had to go to the airport.

"Half an hour," Rachel glanced down at the clock on the dash. "I didn't think there'd be this much traffic this early in the morning."

"Hurry up," Brooke urged. "I need to see him before he leaves." She slid the CD with Taylor Swift "Breathe" into Rachel's player.

Brooke broke down completely as the song came to an end, Rachel trying to calm her down and keep her eyes on the road. Rachel was right, it was time to let Luke know the truth; she couldn't keep it a secret from him any longer.

I am the master of my fate:

The girls made it to the airport by 6.50am, only ten minutes to spare if what Mouth had told them had been accurate.

Rachel pulled up in front of the departure doors, ignoring the no parking signs and followed Brooke out of the car when they heard the security guards calling out to them.

"Lady, you can't park here."

Rachel turned around, her ponytail flying, "Are you kidding me, this is kind of something important. Life or death." She may have been exaggerating a little.

"Not my concern. Move the vehicle or you'll be ticketed." Obviously the guard had been desensitized to human emotions in his job.

Rachel shrugged, running off again to catch up to Brooke who was studying the departure times.

"What was Luke's flight number?" Brooke turned to her friend in a panic.

"It's the first flight out this morning." Rachel shrugged to Brooke.

"Madrid via London, at Gate 15," Brooke read aloud before taking off again; pausing only to change direction when Rachel told her she was heading the wrong way.

When they reached the gate on the other side of the crowded terminal, the gates were closed and all the passengers boarded; but an employee was still behind the desk typing at the computer.

"You have to open the gate again," Brooke leant against the desk to catch her breath.

"Are you a passenger?" Brooke shook her head.

"I can't open that gate. The flight is ready and waiting to depart."

"Listen," Rachel snapped. "Her boyfriend's on that flight – and there's some important things he needs to know before he leaves."

"Please," Brooke begged.

The women looked between the two. "I don't have time for high school drama, that flight…"

"My dad has important friends, who will ensured you are fired if you don't get that door open." Rachel snapped; no qualms in using her father's connections.

While Rachel glared down at the women as she finally reached for the phone, Brooke moved towards the windows – staring out at the runway.

"It's too late," Brooke whispered; her voice cracking.

"No it's not." Rachel promised, moving closer to her friend. Brooke nodded again, and pointed out the plan taxiing down the runway.

Brooke let the tears run, sobbing uncontrollably as she slid down the windows; her back pressed up against them, her head resting on her knees. She couldn't stop the bitter laugh that escaped when she heard the song playing through the PA system, like it was just a bad dream

Standin' out in the rain, knowing it's really over, please don't leave me alone. I'm flooded with all this pain, knowing that I'll never hold you, like I did before the storm.

Rachel sat down next to her friend, pulling her into her side for a tight hug.

"I'm sorry Brooke, this is my fault." Rachel brushed the other girl's hair out of her face.

"It's not your fault." Brooke choked out between sobs. "If anything, this is all my fault."

I am the captain of my soul.


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