A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese!
Disclaimer: Only own Maddie
Chapter Nine
Friend or Foe?
On Saturday morning, Lucas made breakfast for him and Maddie before sending her upstairs to get ready for the day, more specifically Moving Day. She was extremely excited to have Brooke move in with them and couldn't wait to show her the ropes.
He then started cleaning up the dirty dishes when he heard the front door open. He didn't even turn to see who it was as the footsteps came closer. He wasn't surprised that his mother or Keith would come to talk to him eventually since he had skipped work again yesterday. Brooke had been kind enough to cover for him. She had also kept her promise not to tell anyone about Peyton filing for custody, until he was ready to tell his family.
When the footsteps arrived, he was prepared for a lecture. However, he was surprised when it was Haley he heard and not his mom or Keith. He didn't think that she would come by until later.
"I take it that the meeting between you and Peyton didn't go well the other day?" Haley asked him softly. He heard the concern in her voice as she spoke. However, Lucas didn't answer as she continued. "I heard that you decided to skip work again, but didn't tell your parents why. I knew that it had to do something with Peyton. So I decided to check up on you before everyone else came. I was planning to come over last night, but it didn't look like you were home."
"Yeah, I spent the whole day with Maddie. We didn't get back until really late," Lucas replied quietly.
Haley looked at him hard before it dawned on her. "Peyton filed for custody of Maddie, didn't she?" When Lucas didn't answer, she knew the truth and her anger towards Peyton grew. "I knew that the café was just a distraction to get you off the real trail." She then gave him a confused look. "Why are you so worried then? It's not like she can get custody of her, right?"
Lucas didn't answer for a few moments. Haley knew that bad news was coming, but she didn't know what it was. She waited anxiously for him to answer. "She claims that she has a case against me. So I'm getting the best family court lawyer in New York to make sure that I continue to have full custody of Maddie, Victoria Davis."
Haley was shocked. She couldn't believe her ears. "I don't think that hiring Mrs. Davis is a good idea. In case you didn't know, she is Brooke's mother. And they aren't speaking to each other right now."
"Actually, it was Brooke's idea," Lucas replied as Haley gave him another confused look. "She stopped by the other day after you and Peyton both left. Did you know that she didn't know that Peyton was my ex-wife?"
"I didn't think it was right for me to tell her," Haley told him. "Besides, I thought it was enough knowing that Peyton was banned from our café."
Lucas knew that she had a point and he was glad that she respected his privacy. "Well, I told her about Peyton's threat right before she called her mother. She told her about my situation and wondered if she would take my case. Victoria is willing to do it, but she wants to meet with me first. We have a lunch date this afternoon in Wilmington," he explained.
Haley was surprised. "How does Brooke feel about it?" she asked.
"I don't know. I haven't talked to her since Thursday night. So you should ask her today." There was a short pause and Lucas then took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about this except Nathan. Don't tell Mom and Keith. I don't want them to worry. They are already stressing out about the café. I don't want to put this on them too." Haley was about to protest when Lucas gave her a pleading look.
Haley sighed. "Ok, I won't tell them for now." Lucas smiled at her gratefully. "Now is there anything that I can do for you?"
Before Lucas could answer, Maddie ran into the kitchen. She embraced her aunt in a hug and gave her a wide smile. "Hi, Aunt Haley."
Haley smiled in return. "Hey Maddie. Are you excited about Brooke moving in today?" Maddie nodded eagerly and Haley laughed softly at her obvious excitement as she said, "I bet you are."
Lucas then knew it was time to have a talk with his daughter. He bent down to her level before he spoke. "Maddie, you know that things are going to be a little different with Brooke living with us now, right?" Maddie nodded understandingly. "You are going to have to give Brooke her space when she wants it. Because sometimes, having a baby makes the mommy tired and grouchy. You are going to have to be patient with her when she has those moods. And she's not going to be used to our way of doing things."
Maddie knew exactly what he meant. "Don't worry, Daddy. I'll help her out."
Lucas gave her a wide smile. "That's my girl," he said as he gave her a kiss. "Now why don't you go next door and see if Jenny is ready to play?" he suggested. Maddie nodded as she embraced him a hug. Lucas savored the hug and couldn't help but wonder how much longer he would have to do this. They then exchanged good-byes before Maddie dashed out of the kitchen. He then asked, "Do you happen to know if Brooke's having a boy or girl? Because if you do, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if she could have Jamie's baby stuff?"
Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise as she heard his request. "Lucas, how long exactly are you planning to let her stay here? I mean I think it's nice that you're turning your office into a nursery, but do you really think she will stay that long?"
Lucas shrugged. "Even if she doesn't, there will always be a room for her baby to stay in if she needs a night away from motherhood or if she goes away for the weekend and can't take the baby with her." Haley knew that he had a point. There was a short pause before he added, "Or my niece or nephew."
"Nathan and I are working on that," Haley replied with a smile. Lucas chuckled softly in response.
A few hours later, Brooke was all moved in and the whole gang decided to celebrate at the café. Lucas stayed for a little bit before he knew that he had to get going. He gently pulled Brooke and Haley away from the group and into a corner of the room. "I'm leaving now," he told them before he turned to Brooke. "Any last minute things I should know about your mother?"
"Whose mommy?" asked a small voice.
The three were surprised to see Maddie standing right by them since she had been playing with Jenny just moments ago. Lucas then noticed that his mother and Deb were looking directly at him with curious looks on their faces. He then realized that they had sent Maddie over to see what's going on with him. He knew that it was time to tell them.
He walked over to them as he heard Brooke telling Maddie the answer. He let out a sigh before speaking. "Mom, I didn't want to tell you and Keith this. But you might as well know that Peyton is filing for custody of Maddie." Karen gasped in surprise. "And she claims that she has a case against me. So I'm getting a lawyer, who just happens to be Brooke's mother. And I'm supposed to leave now to meet her for lunch."
Karen nodded understandingly as she said, "Then go. Don't worry about Maddie."
Lucas smiled gratefully before he went back over to Haley, Brooke and Maddie. He bent down to Maddie's level before he spoke. "Daddy has to go in the city for a few hours. So you are going to stay here for awhile."
"Can't I come with you?" Maddie asked as she gave him a hopeful look.
"You don't want to stay here with your favorite pal?" Brooke asked her, pretending to be hurt. "We'll have lots of fun."
Maddie shook her head. "I want to meet your mommy," she protested. "And you should come with us."
"I think it's a great idea," Haley said as Brooke gave her a look. "If your mom is going to help Lucas out, she might as well meet Maddie too." Lucas knew that she had a point. "So Brooke can take Maddie somewhere to play while you and Victoria talk. Then she can meet Maddie afterwards."
Lucas had to agree. "That sounds like a plan," he replied as he looked at Brooke. "Now we should really get going."
Brooke stopped her friends right there. "Wait a minute, who said I was going? I'm not going," she protested, not sounding happy at all.
"Why not? Don't you want to see her?" Maddie asked with a puzzled frown.
Brooke gave her a gentle smile as she softly said, "My mom and I don't get along."
"I'll go then," Haley offered. "I'm dying to meet her."
A familiar voice spoke up. "I don't think that's necessary. I'll go along for the ride. Besides, I haven't spent much time with my son or my granddaughter alone since I got back. So I'll go and keep an eye on Maddie while you talk with Mrs. Davis. You go now and we'll leave in a little bit," Karen told Lucas.
Brooke smiled gratefully at Karen as Lucas started to say good-bye to everyone. He then left the café as Haley gave Brooke a curious look. "I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to see my mother again. Her first unexpected visit was enough for me for now. I just hope that she's not using Lucas to make an excuse to get closer to me."
"I'm sure she isn't," Karen replied gently.
"You can be the judge when you meet her later," Brooke told her.
Lucas soon arrived at the restaurant and parked the car in an empty parking space. He then walked in and over to the hostess at the podium. "Excuse me, I have a reservation with a Mrs. Victoria Davis," he told her.
The hostess looked at the schedule book. She gave Lucas a smile. "Mrs. Davis has been waiting for you, Mr. Scott. Follow me," she said before she led him through the room. He started to get nervous as the hostess led him to a private table.
A woman stood up as she gave him a smile. "Hello, you must be Lucas Scott. I'm Victoria Davis," she said as she extended out her hand. Lucas shook it before she gestured him to sit down. He smiled in return as he did. He was then handed a menu before the hostess left them alone.
"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule and flying down to meet me, Mrs. Davis," Lucas said, doing his best to sound business-like. He hoped that he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. He hoped that he was doing the right thing here. He then realized that he was. He didn't want to lose Maddie. He just wasn't sure about Victoria. But even though Brooke had told him horror stories about her, he was willing to give her a chance.
"Please call me Victoria. And it's the least I can do," Victoria replied. "After all, you and your family have been treating my daughter like a person instead of a charity case. I appreciate that. She needs all the love and support she can get during this difficult time." She then stopped herself. "I'm sorry. This lunch is about you, not Brooke." She then quickly changed the subject. "Now what do I need to know?"
"It's a long story," Lucas told her.
"We have plenty of time," Victoria replied as a waiter came to take their orders. After they told him their orders, Victoria turned back to Lucas. "Look, I understand that you want to keep your life private, but I can't help you if I don't know about your relationship with Ms. Sawyer."
Lucas knew that she had a point. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, Peyton and I both grew up in Tree Hill. However, we didn't really talk to each other until freshmen year of college." Victoria raised her eyebrows in surprise. "She was bit of a loner in high school. But once we met, she really opened up to me. However, my family didn't feel the same way as I did."
"Really?" Victoria asked him interested. "Why's that?"
Lucas knew that she was thinking of her own relationship with Brooke. "For some reason, they didn't trust her."
"I'm sure they had a good reason not to," Victoria replied.
Lucas sighed. "I know, but I could never understand why." He then changed the subject. "Anyway, it wasn't long before we were dating. But it took awhile before I got my parents' blessing to marry her. We got married during our junior year. After a few arguments, we agreed to not to have children for a few years. But then in our senior year, Peyton unexpectedly got pregnant with Maddie. She seemed okay with it at first, but it wasn't long before she was struggling to keep up with her classes. She almost didn't graduate. Luckily, she did right before Maddie was born."
"Then what happened?" Victoria asked curious.
"Well, she seemed like she was dedicated to taking care of Maddie. I thought that everything was going well. I didn't even see it coming when she left." He then let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't believe that she thinks that she can just take Maddie like this."
"Don't worry, Lucas. I will do everything in my power to make sure that she doesn't," Victoria replied. "I promise."
Lucas smiled gratefully. He was glad that the meeting was going so well. He would have thought that they wouldn't get along. He then changed the subject. "I hope you don't mind, but my daughter Maddie wants to meet you." Victoria looked at him surprised. "Yeah, I know it's crazy, but she loves meeting new people. And if I haven't convinced you to take my case by now, I know Maddie definitely will."
Victoria gave him a smile as she said, "Well, I'd love to meet her."
After they ate their lunch, Victoria followed Lucas in a cab to a bookstore. Maddie had suggested it since she wanted to look at books. Lucas had a feeling that she would want to buy some books in the process. She always did when they went to a bookstore.
When they arrived, they immediately went to the children's corner where Lucas was sure that Karen and Maddie were. Sure enough, they were glancing through the books. Maddie gave them a wide smile and ran over to them when she spotted Lucas. She embraced him in a hug before turning to Victoria. Lucas waited until Karen caught up with them before doing the introductions. "Victoria, I'd like you to meet my daughter Maddie and my mother Karen. This is Victoria Davis, Brooke's mother."
Victoria and Karen shook hands before Victoria turned to Maddie. She gave her a smile. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."
Maddie smiled in return. "It's nice to meet you too," she replied politely. She then turned back to Lucas with excited eyes. "Daddy, I found a book for Brooke to read to her baby. Can we get it for the nursery, please?" she asked him anxiously. "I won't show it to Brooke until the nursery's ready. I promise."
Lucas couldn't argue with that. "Alright," he replied as Victoria gave him a confused look. He waited until Karen and Maddie had left them to go and get the book before he spoke. "Brooke has moved in with me and Maddie and we're turning my office into a nursery for her baby as a surprise for her."
"That's so thoughtful of you," Victoria replied. "No wonder she didn't want me to stick around. I guess she didn't want me to find out about your relationship."
Lucas laughed as he explained, "No, we're not dating, not even close. She just needs a place to stay for awhile. And I have plenty of room."
Victoria was surprised at the revelation. "I see." She then quickly changed the subject. She smiled as she watched Maddie. "It sounds like Maddie really likes Brooke."
Lucas smiled in return. "She adores her. And Brooke is pretty fond of her herself."
"I don't blame her. She seems like a great kid," Victoria replied. She then saw the worried look on Lucas's face as he watched his daughter. She knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything. It will all be okay. Trust me."
Brooke was waiting in the house anxiously for Lucas and Maddie to come back. She hoped that the lunch meeting had gone well. She would have gone with Lucas, but she didn't want to see her mother again so soon. She then started to think that it was a crazy idea to bring her mother in all this in the first place. But she was the first person that she thought of when she had heard about Peyton's threat. She knew that Victoria would help if she could.
She still couldn't believe that Peyton was Maddie's mother. She had wanted to go to the Tree Hill café and confront Peyton. But she knew that she would just have made matters worse considering the end result of Lucas punching Julian. So she knew that she couldn't be dropping by that café anytime soon.
She then heard the front door open and turned around to see Lucas and Maddie. She gave them a smile as Maddie ran over to her and embraced her in a hug. "Hey, how's my favorite sidekick?" she asked her happily. "My mom didn't scare you, did she?"
Maddie shook her head. "I like your mommy," she replied.
Brooke pretended to be shocked. "You mean she fell for that irresistible Maddie charm?" she asked her. Maddie nodded, playing along. "Shame on you," Brooke said, pretending to scold her. "You can't use your special powers on everyone."
"Why not?" Maddie asked as she tried not to giggle.
"Because it's not fun that way. You should only use that charm on the good guys, ok?" Brooke told her.
Maddie nodded animatedly as she said, "I promise if you do something for me."
Brooke looked at her curiously. "What's that?"
"Make up with your mommy, please," Maddie begged her as she looked at her with wide eyes. "She isn't the bad guy."
"I would have to agree with her. You should give your mom a second chance. She really does seem to regret how she had treated you all these years. She wants to help you out with the baby now," Lucas added.
Brooke sighed and frowned slightly as she said, "I don't know if I can."
"It's easy. All you have to do is say you're both sorry, hug and make-up," Maddie told her with a pleading look in her eyes. "Don't you?"
Brooke gave her a gentle smile. "Alright, I promise that I'll talk to her again." She didn't have a chance to say anything else as Maddie embraced her in another hug.
After a moment or two, she pulled away and Lucas then knew it was time to talk with Brooke alone. He could see that she was still doubtful. "Why don't you go play with Lucy now?" he suggested. Maddie nodded before she left the kitchen.
Brooke waited until she could hear Maddie on the stairs before speaking. "Tell me the truth. My mother was terrible, wasn't she?" Brooke asked him. She let out a sigh before she continued speaking. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go alone. But I didn't want her to criticize me in front of you. Or judge you before even getting to know you. Those are her two worst qualities."
Lucas stopped her right there. "She wasn't anything like that. She was actually pretty nice," he assured her.
Brooke looked at him flabbergasted. "Wait, Victoria was nice? Are you sure you're talking about my mother?" Lucas nodded and Brooke's surprise grew. "No rude comments? Or worse, did she try to make the lunch all about me instead of you?"
"Actually, she tried to avoid that," Lucas told her.
Brooke was now beyond surprised. "Wow, maybe she has changed."
"There's only one way to find out," Lucas replied. "You can go now if you want. She's still at her hotel in Wilmington. Your mom doesn't leave until tomorrow evening."
"Actually, I'm going to stay here and rest. I'm feeling tired. I think my pregnancy hormones have been acting up," Brooke replied. Normally, that would be an excuse. However, she really did feel exhausted. "And you really can't celebrate without me."
Lucas knew she had a point. "Well, you should go and rest then in your new bedroom."
"I can't thank you enough for taking me and my baby in," Brooke said gratefully as she touched her stomach. "I don't know how I would be able to do it otherwise."
Lucas gave her a comforting smile. "I'm sure you would have found a way. You're stronger than you think," he replied.
Brooke smiled gratefully. "I'll be upstairs if you need me."
Lucas nodded. He then grinned as he said, "Take your time. I know how important it is to give you pregnant women rest."
Brooke laughed. "Yeah, it's never good to mess with a pregnant woman." She then walked out of the kitchen and into the foyer. Once she arrived at the top of the stairs, she headed down the hall towards her new bedroom when she heard Maddie's voice. She peeked into the bedroom where Maddie was and saw that she was having a little tea party with Lucy and her stuffed animals.
As Brooke watched her, she soon realized why Maddie wanted her to make up with Victoria. She didn't want her to lose her mother like she did. She then knew that she couldn't let Peyton do this to Lucas or Maddie. They didn't deserve it. She had avoided a confrontation. After coming to this revelation, she knew that she couldn't keep her mouth shut about it. She had to talk to Peyton.
