Disclaimer: As we all know, I do not own OTH because if I did it wouldn't suck as much as it do now...lol!

(A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I want to thanks my beta Jennie and her friend Morgan for helping me with this chapter. I finally got around to doing the Author's Response and I also enabled Anonymous reviews so you don't have to log in to leave a review. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review.)

Chapter Nine: Gone Forever Part 1

I feel so much better
Now, that you're gone forever
I tell myself that I don't
Miss you at all

I'm not lying, denying
That I feel so much better now
That you're gone forever

- Three Days Grace

Lucas' POV

"Would she even want me there?" I keep asking myself out loud. I look in the mirror, trying to fix my tie. I don't want to make a spectacle of myself by inviting myself to something I wasn't even invited to. I just want to be there for her though. I know she probably doesn't want me there, but it can't hurt to be there for her. She was there for me when Keith died. It's the very least I can do, even though we're not on that great of terms right now.

I remember her face after she heard the news; it was somewhat emotionless. It's been that way for a week now. Haley told me she hardly speaks to anyone and when she does, she just says she's happy and that everything is fine. I know better than that though. She isn't fine; this isn't fine at all. She may seem to hate Victoria, but that was just a facade. Victoria may have done some cruel things in the past, but that never stopped Brooke from caring about her or missing her. Although, she would never admit that. That's just the kind of person she was; she hid her emotion from the world.

Peyton walks into the room, still wearing her pajamas. She slides into the bed and pulls the covers over her head. I still can't believe she doesn't want to come to the funeral. She of all people should understand what Brooke is going through, considering that she lost not one, but two mothers. I step back from the mirror, checking out my overall appearance. I think I look pretty decent for the occasion.

I walk over to the dresser next to the bed, "I don't understand why your not coming." I grab the watch off the dresser and wrap it around my wrist.

She pulls the cover from over her head, "You wouldn't understand." She simply tells me rolling her eyes in frustration. "Brooke and I are going through a little argument. I'm sure it won't matter to her whether I come or not, it's not like Victoria meant the world to her. She hated her. If Victoria wasn't her mother, she wouldn't be attending this funeral."

Hypocritical, is all I can think at this moment. "That's still her mother and I'm pretty sure she would love to have the support of her best friend." Peyton ignores my comment. "You know I thought you would understand. You lost both of your mothers and Brooke was there for you. She's always been there for you, even when you shut her out. As soon as she shuts you out, you give up on her."

I can see that my words fueled her up, "Well if it isn't the pot calling the kettle black." She says with a slight hint of a bitter laugh on her tongue. "Brooke shut you out senior year and how hard did you try to fight for her?" I try to ignore her comment, knowing she's saying this out of spite. "Seriously, Luke, you practically came running to me after she said she didn't want you anymore. You know what Lucas, you're an ass. It's no wonder that Brooke didn't want to have your kid."

I punch my fist in to the wall, leaving a dent in it. I see Peyton flinch on the bed, her eyes widen with fear. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about Peyton." I grab my car keys. "You know what, you're making this whole not wanting to be with you thing a whole lot easier."

I can see the shock on her face, "Maybe you should just go." She tells me, with tears rolling down her eyes. She tries to wipe them, but it doesn't work too well. "Actually this is your house, maybe I should go."

I sigh, "No, stay. I'll go." She doesn't look at me when I say this. "I'll be back after I get this whole thing figured out."

She nods her head, "I can't promise you I'll be here when you get back."

I shrug my shoulders, walking towards the door. "That's fine."

I can hear her sob as I close the door behind me. I get inside my car, entering the key in to the ignition. I bang my head against the steering wheel. I probably should have handle the situation differently, but I can't fight the way I feel. I love Peyton with all my heart, I really do, but I'm not in love with her.

I place my hands on the steering wheel, muttering to myself, "How did my life get so screwed up?"

Brooke's POV

There he was, he was leaning against a black limousine. He stands about six feet tall, dress in a black Armani suit that shows off his broad shoulder. His hair is slick back and a smile drapes across his face as he sees me get out of the car. He hasn't aged since I last saw him, maybe a few grey hairs here and there, but he still looks the same. I feel like a little girl again; I just want to run up to him and hug him.

He begins walking towards me, "Hey princess."

He holds out his arms and I walk into them. I wrap my arms tightly around him, leaning my head head on his chest. I'm almost glad that I was wearing sunglasses, so that way he wouldn't notice that I had tears in my eyes. It felt good to hug him again. It has been a long time since we hugged like this. I feel myself pull back and he takes a long look at me. His eyes are beaming with glee.

"I've missed you so much," He pulls me in for another hug, "I'm sorry we had to meet again under such horrible terms. How are you holding up?"

I shrug my shoulders, "I'm okay." I have no reason to feel any sign of regret towards her death.

He nods his head, "Well, maybe we should get in before they begin the service without us." I feel his hand on my back, guiding me towards the gates of the cemetery.

I see Rachel and Sam sitting next to Haley, Nathan, Jamie and Lucas. I'm not surprised when my eyes meets the blond because a part of me knew he would come. I'm not surprised when I don't see Peyton either because, quite frankly, I didn't think she would come. Especially not after our last discussion, but I still had hope that she could find the decency to show up. I take my seat next to my father, who was currently talking to Rachel. She met my father when we were in New York and he looked out for her, just as he did for me. I think some times he even sees her as another daughter, which I don't mind in the slightest.

I cross my legs, when I see her coffin being pulled in. It was almost surreal. I couldn't believe she was dead, but there it was, her coffin. She was lying in it, lifeless. Breathless. Dead. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. I try to pull them back. I shouldn't care if she was dead, she didn't think about me or my baby when she killed it. Why should this be any different? Why the hell should I care if she was about to be buried six feet into the ground, never to be seen again. Why should I care?

Her tombs reads, 'Victoria Davis.' Underneath that it says, 'A great mother and wonderful wife.'

Could that be any more of a lie? It should read, 'Here lies Victoria Davis. A bitch that made everyone live a living hell.' If I could take back her ever meeting my friends, I would. If she never knew Rachel, then she would never have become a heroine addict. If she never knew Peyton, she wouldn't ridicule her of the life she lived just because she didn't have a mother. If she never met any of my friends maybe my life would be better than it was right now. If she never killed my baby, maybe I would have been married to Lucas Scott.

She doesn't deserve the tears that were rolling down my eyes. She doesn't deserve to have a crowd of people at her funeral saying what a wonderful woman she was, because she wasn't. She was the complete opposite. She was an awful woman. A woman who made my life what it was today. She wasn't a great mother, she was hardly a wife. She was a bitch, but she was my mother and I loved her. As much as I hate to admit it, I loved her and I still do. Even if she was a horrible, cruel and demeaning woman, she was still my mother. So, how could she make me both love her and hate her so much?

I was hardly listening to the service, I didn't even realize that it was almost over. My mind was scattered all over the place. I suddenly have all these questions I want to ask her, but I can't. I begin to notice that the sky that was once lit by the sun, was now black with a mass of clouds. The pastor finished speaking and as he moves away from the coffin, I see people maneuvering her coffin underground.

I watch them dump the pile of dirt on top of her coffin. A man with a shovel comes and immediately begins patting down the dirt. No one leaves; everyone watches as he does this.

I feel paralyzed.

What is the next step from here? What do I do? Should I continue on with my life as though nothing even happened? Or do I grieve and drown myself in a state of emotional depression?

I see people begin to get up and leave; I just sit there, still staring at her grave.

Lucas' POV

She's completely numb. Her hair is in a ponytail, with her bangs covering her forehead. She hates to show her vulnerability, so she hides behind the sunglasses that she's wearing on her face. She has on a black dress that stops above her knees, and black high heel shoes that make her look highly sophisticated. Her back is pressed back against the chair, as she looks distantly at her mother's grave.

We all begin to get up, with a somewhat somber expression on our faces. Brooke's father helps her up from her seat. She halts in her footsteps, whispering something in his ear. She moves away from him, towards her mother's grave. He continues to walk with Sam and Jamie by his side. Haley and Nathan are beside me, watching the broken brunette stand before her mother's grave. I see her red haired friend not far behind, only five or six paces away.

"Don't worry," I turn to Nathan and Haley, "I got them."

The two nod, not before taking one last glance at Brooke. They walk towards the cemetery gate and Nathan wraps his arms around Haley, who leans her head on his shoulder. I walk over to Rachel, she has her arms crossed and she's standing in a firm stance. She looks at me with a look of desperation on her face, almost as if she wants me here.

I look back at Brooke, "How has she been doing?" I ask Rachel in a whisper, not taking my eyes off the vulnerable figure standing in front of me.

Rachel lets out a sigh, "She's been putting on a brave face," she tells me, her voice dripping with exasperation. "I know she just wants to be strong and not let anyone see her vulnerable, but this was bound to happen after the way she's been acting. It's like she's been suppressing her emotions for the last week and she's tried just being happy. That way no one would worry about her, but it just makes us worry more."

I simply nod my head, "Brooke is stubborn. She's not going to show anyone any sign of weakness."

"I know."

I can feel the wind begin to pick up pace and drops of rain began to fall from the ominous grey sky. It begins to crackle with lighting and let out a thunderous sound as times goes on. I see Brooke, kneel before Victoria's grave. She was beginning to become soaking wet, just as Rachel and I were. I doubt kneeling in the muddy ground was a pleasant feeling for her, but as I continue to watch her, I hear her mumble words.

Brooke's POV

"It's funny," I let out a bittersweet laugh, bitting on my lip. "Your finally gone and I got my wish, but somehow I miss you. You don't deserve it though, because what have you ever done to deserve my love? I mean you took my company, you made my life difficult and you killed my baby." I shake my head, feeling my voice about to break. "How could you do that to your own grandchild? How could you kill something so innocent and defenseless? I wanted that baby more than anything and you took that away from me. You took my child away from me and I hate you for that."

I feel the warm tears slide down my face. "I hate you, but I love you. I know it sounds strange, but I do love you. I mean you may have been a horrible, vindictive woman, but you were still my mom." I tell her, hoping she can here me. "Even if you didn't love me, I still fought for your love. Which was stupid on my behalf, because that was something that I could have never won. You didn't care about me, all you cared about was your dreams and your goals and being rich. You probably didn't have any place to put me in your heart did you?"

I hear the thunder roar above me. The rain begins to fall harder, pelting against my pale skin. "Why did you have to leave me mom? Why couldn't you stay behind for me? Was that to much for you to do? To just stay behind and watch me?" I yell at her as if she were standing in front of me. "Why did you have to leave me without telling me you love me? Or that you were sorry? That's all I ever wanted from you, to be sorry for what you done. It was wrong, so why couldn't you just be sorry?" I punch my knuckles in to her marble imprinted grave stone. "Why did you have to leave me?"

I begin punching the stone with both of my hands. I could feel the blood seeping down my knuckles, over my hands. I felt someone lift me up, pulling me back from the grave. I know who it is, so I push him away. I didn't want to, but it's just how I felt.

"Please Lucas, don't touch me," I say in calm whisper.

I see his face slowly turn into a frown as he nods his head. I want nothing more than to run away from here. To not deal with this stuff, to just go far away where I would never have to deal with the pain. It's too much to bear, I don't think I can do it anymore, I don't think I want to feel it anymore. I don't want to feel anything anymore. I want to feel numb. I want to feel nothing. Nothing at all. I just want to escape it all.

I hear him talk to Rachel, "Maybe you should take her home."

They were both dripping wet, their clothes completely soaked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

Rachel walks over to me, she places her hand on my back leading me towards the gate of the cemetery. I look back at Lucas before I leave, he just stands there watching me. His hands in his pockets and his face looking as broody as ever. It was my fault he was so broken, that he was the way he was. If it wasn't for me, maybe he could have lived a happy life with Peyton, but that wasn't going to happen. It seemed as long as I was in the picture, nothing good was going to happen any time soon.

Lucas' POV

I knocked on Nathan and Haley's door, waiting for someone to answer. Nathan answers the door, he looks at my appearance and has a questioning look on his face. I just give him the 'You don't want to know.' stare and continue on in to the house. I walked in to the kitchen taking a seat on the counter. Haley turns around and stares at me, she had the same expression Nathan just had.

"Brooke took awhile to leave." I say simply and she nods her head, "She was yelling at Victoria's grave. She seemed so..so...I can't even describe it. I just know that this wasn't her. I mean it was her, but it wasn't. I sound like an idiot right now."

Haley laughs, "Sort of, but I get where you're coming from." She takes a seat next to me on a bar stool. "Brooke never really experienced death in her life and this is like the worst death you could ever experience. The loss of a parent is never going to be easy. I don't blame her for getting a little emotional, especially with everything that happened over the last couple of days. She was an emotional wreck just waiting to happen. You can't pent up all your emotion, because when it finally comes out it's never going to be good."

I nod my head in agreement, "I feel that some of her pain is my fault."

"You can't blame yourself for everything," She tells me, crossing her arms. "There are just some things that happens that can't be controlled and this is just one of those situation. Brooke is a fighter. You of all people should know that and no matter what, she's going to overcome this and fight this. Okay?"

I nod my head, again, "You're right."

"I'm always right." Haley adds cockily as I shove her, laughing.

"Peyton and I got in to a fight," I blurt out, as Haley eyes widen. "Yeah, I know. We were talking about the funeral and why she wasn't coming and we said some pretty hurtful things to each other. I told her I would stay here until I got things figured out, if that's okay with you and Nathan."

"No problem," I hear Nathan say as he walks in to the kitchen. "Mi casa, es su casa."

Haley and I laugh, "Thanks bro." I pound fist with him over the counter. "There's another thing though. She might be leaving. I don't know where she's going, but she said she might not be there when I get back."

"Lucas, how did you screw this up so badly?" Haley punches me in the shoulder, "Peyton and Brooke are both my friends and you are making me choose sides now! Which I hate, because although I'm always going to support your decision, I have to worry about my friends and their hearts. Gosh Lucas your such an arse."

Nathan looks at Haley with a grin on his face, "Arse?"

"I like to spark up my vocabulary," Haley says jokingly. "But seriously Lucas, I told you to choose the girl you love. I'm sorry if you thought I was forcing you to choose immediately, but I didn't want you to really choose right away. You're like Ross on friends, you have this thing with marriage."

Nathan laughs at her comparison. I try to open my mouth to say something, but my cell phone rings. I look at the name on screen, it reads, 'Rachel.'

"Rach, what's up?" I ask, I hear her frantically talking over the phone. "Rachel, calm down I can barely understand you. Just repeat it and say it more slowly." She repeats what she has to say and I close the phone. I feel my heart pounding and my face drops. Haley and Nathan have worried expressions on their faces.

Haley is the first to talk, "What's going on Luke?"

"It's Brooke," I say slowly. "She's missing."

(A/N: Thanks for reading. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and meeting Brooke's father. Hopefully you enjoyed the cliffy at the end too. Leave those reviews guys...lol!)

dolcegrazia- Thanks for the review! Hopefully Brooke and Lucas can work through their issues and become stronger friends because of what happened. Thanks for reading! :D

dianehermans- Thanks for the review! Hopefully things get better for Brooke soon. Thanks for reading! :D

BrookeLucasForever- Thanks for the reviews! I laughed when I read your comment on Victoria being a bigger b**** here than on
the show. I think she's is too, but now she's dead. :( I should have made Rachel slap Peyton, but I figured let's not have to much drama, maybe she'll get another shot for that. Thanks for reading! :D

Brucas True Love- Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like the story and Lucas knows now and hopefully him and Brooke can have a good discussion about it instead of walking on egg shells. Thanks for reading! :D

Long Live BRUCAS- Thanks for the reviews! First off, I absolutely love your reviews. Also, I have something planned for the whole B/L/P love triangle next chapter that I hope most of you will like. I'm just going to give you a hint and tell you that something good happens either this chapter or the next. Thank you so much for reading, looking forward to your reviews! :D

krjemb- Thanks for the review! Glad you knew something was up. Thank you for reading! :D

ravencheerleader- Thanks for the reviews! I hate Victoria too, I was going to try and have her redeem herself, but I don't think she can redeem herself after what she did. I hate Peyton too...lol! Thanks for reading, looking forward to your reviews! :D

BL-4ever21- Thanks you so much! I'm glad you liked it. I agree with you Lucas is an ass, but he's very confused so I'll give him that. Even though it's no excuse. Thanks for reading! :D

plasticlittlespastic- Thanks for the review! I love when people use Lucass, I had to add it in the chapter before this. It was so funny. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

Princesakarlita411- Thank you so much for the reviews! I agree Lucas is an ass, along with Victoria and Peyton. Hopefully everything gets better in the end and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading! :D

BDavisLScott23- I love your reviews! Lol! They really put a smile to my face. I agree with you Lucas needs to dump Peyton already and follow his heart and be with Brooke. She's the one he really wants to be with, it's so obvious. Don't worry I'll give you BL, first I have to give you some awesome build up, which will begin in the next chapter. Thanks for reading the story, I hope you enjoyed! :D

tanya2byour21- You are totally awesome, I think you pretty much reviewed all the chapters. I'm glad to read your reviews each chapter. Thank you so much. I would make Rachel beat up Peyton, but we all know Peyton is not worth anyone time...lol! Maybe she will kick Peyton ass, just for kicks. I hope you like the way Brooke reacted, I know she wasn't that close to Victoria, but she did care for her. Thanks for reading the story, I hope you enjoyed! :D

pink5288- Thanks for the reviews! Glad your enjoying the the story. Thanks for reading the story, I hope you enjoyed! :D

rosseyanna- Thanks for the review. I know, Victoria is horrible. Thank you so much for the comment on the story, I'm glad you like it and I hope you continue to like it. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. :D

Brucasxo4ever- I used your line this chapter! Instead of Haley saying it Peyton said it, so thank you so much for letting me borrow that line. It just caused the first argument between Pucas. Thanks again so much. Thank for reading, hope you enjoyed! :D

PrincessOnyx- Thanks for the review. I agree that last line was really sad. Thanks for reading the story, I hope you enjoyed! :D

emma134- Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! :D

annash- Thanks for the review! I agree, Peyton is a b* and hopefully she can redeem herself. Thanks for reading! :D

Tess mtiv- Thank you so much for the review and discovering this story. I'm glad you liked it. I agree with you, Haley is an awesome friend and I'm glad Brooke and Lucas have her to guide them. I also agree with you that Brooke does care about Victoria, so I knew she would be affected by it. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :D

brulian equals forbidden love.- I agree with you, Brachel is totally the best. I also agree with you about Peyton, she's very rude. Thank you so much for the review. Hope you enjoyed ths chapter! Thanks for reading! :D

centuryshorty - Thank you so much. I'm glad the fic could touch your heart. And thank you so much for the review, it was awesome. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading. :D

idoloveyou- Thank you so much for review the story twice after reading it. It was awesome. I love them. I like the whole Sam/Rachel/Brooke dynamic too. I wanted her to say that too, but hopefully she can say it soon. Lucas will definitely be there for Brooke, I couldn't imagine if he wasn't. Thanks so much again. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading the story! :D

xxAugustaxx- Thanks so much for the review Ashley! I'm glad you like the story! I figured since Peyton been through so much it's impossible for her not to have some kind of internal issue. Also, I think Brooke was about four month. I heard in some cases they can tell the baby sex really early, so I'm just going to go along with that...lol. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :D

miralinda- Lol...your review made me laugh. She should have suffered, but I just didn't have the heart to make her...lol. Also, Brooke dad did show up. He's probably going to be around a little longer, so I hope you like his character. I know, Lucas can't help but kiss other girls when he's in a relationship. Getting rid of Peyton, will be hard, but I think I can do it...lol! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :D

Brucasfan23- Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Lucas will be there for Brooke, so don't even worry about it. ;) Thanks for reading, looking forward to your reviews! :D

Bandbabe- Thanks for the review! Hopefully I will have someone tell Lucas why. So I'll really try to add that in to the story. Lol...love the pun. Thanks for reading, looking forward to your reviews! :D

troypazash- Thank you so much. It make me glad to know you read the whole story in one night. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Looking forward to your reviews, thanks for reading! :D

emma217- Thanks for the review. Victoria is an evil character, she is a sad person. Hopefully you like this chapter. Thanks for reading! :D