A Love To Remember

Chapter 9 - Touched

"So how is it having two hot guys at you call?" Peyton teased.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Torture," she replied.

"Come on Brooke, it can't be that bad. I mean, you do have two hot guys practically stepping on your toes to be next to you," came Haley's teasing voice from the other side of the couch.

"Julian is the perfect guy. He says the perfect words, he does the perfect things, he is perfect with Sam, Sam loves him but I don't know…something is missing; the chemistry isn't there."

"Is it the whole 'no-sparks-thing'?"

"No," Peyton mock-gasped, "Brooke Davis doesn't have chemistry with Mr. Sexy Producer?"

Brooke laughed. "I know, I know…I'm losing it." She reached up to lay a hand on her face and frowned when she felt the rough texture of the cast. She couldn't wait to get the stupid thing off.

"What about Owen? What's the problem with him?" asked Haley.

"He's a good kisser," Brooke said dreamily, "But Sam doesn't like him and that's a problem."

"It sucks," Haley added, practically reading her best friend's mind.

"So…one man is on the ride for the whole 'let's play house without the marriage' and one would gladly hop into bed with you?" Peyton cast a sympathetic glance at Brooke's casts. "If you weren't so beat up, that is."

Brooke shot Peyton a glare. "Yeah, I think so."

"I don't want to step on your toes, B. Davis, but…"

Brooke interrupted her with, "You're not, Peyt; you're getting married in four months and baby Scott will be coming sooner than you think." Brooke leaned into the couch. "I feel like my life is so much more…crappier than everyone's at the moment."

"It'll pass," Haley offered, shrugging. She really didn't know what to say to her miserable friend. She remembered when she had been a situation like this with Chris and Nathan. She had been miserable then.

"Damn these casts," Brooke muttered before Peyton raised a brow, "I would gladly jump into bed with Owen if it weren't for these."

"Are you sure I should be here?" Everyone turned to see Sam.

"Let's see, my kid has horrible timing, wants me to watch porn and now knows even more about my sex life," Brooke listed, trying to keep the smile of her face. "Did I miss anything?"

"Sorry to disappoint," Peyton shrugged, placing the DVD into Sam's hands.

"Wow," Sam commented, reading the back. "Who picked the major chick flick?"

"Julian," the three women said in unison.

"Give me ten minutes," Sam yelled as she ran into the bathroom. All three women burst into laughter as the bathroom door slammed shut.

"She likes Julian a lot, doesn't she?" Peyton asked as she took a bite out of her cookie.

"He's really helping her with her writing. She calls him her mentor," Brooke laughed, her eyes shining with pride. "She wants to write scripts now. And who better to help her than a producer?"

Haley nodded, agreeing. "I think there might be more there.

Immediately, Brooke sat up straighter. "Do you think she has a…crush on him?" Oh, no, she didn't want that to be the case. She couldn't even imagine the conversation she would be forced to have with Sam if that was what was going on.

Haley rolled her eyes. "I meant they have a bond, like a child-parent one."

"It s as clear as crystal," Peyton added.

"You didn't see how he took care of her when you were unconscious," Haley continued, smiling when Brooke showed a hint of a smile.

"It was cute. He took care of her; made sure she showered and ate. He even wrote notes to the principal to explain everything. He was being a…well, a dad."

"I told you," Peyton said, pointing a finger in Brooke's direction. "She was good for him too. She didn't want to go back to school but he somehow convinced her when we couldn't. She has a lot of love for him, B. Davis."

"One day Julian asked me some History questions because he couldn't help her with her homework. He said History had never been his best subject but he did help her with her homework as best he could."

"Especially on Math," Sam said as she walked into to join them.

"How does he remember Math? I don't even remember what X means," said Brooke, laughing.

"Do I have to bring up the Calculus test fiasco?" Brooke stuck her tongue out at her best friend. She wasn't going to discuss her stealing of the test with her teenage daughter.

"That's great and all, but why are you bringing up Julian and my homework?"

"Oh, we were filling Brooke in on everything Julian did for you when she was dead to the world," Peyton explained.

"Why the sudden interest?" asked Sam as she stole the piece of popcorn Brooke had picked up. The two shared a small smile.

"I just wanted to know Sam," she said. "It's nice to know that you were cared for." She shot looks to her two friends, "By everyone."

Sam opened her mouth to say something but Brooke interrupted her with, "I think we should watch the movie now." That effectively ended the conversation.

"You'll love it," Peyton said as the lights dimmed.

"Have you already watched it?"

"Of course I did. Julian always made me watch movies when we were dating."

"So, he's using the 'I'm sensitive and know what women want' move?" Brooke asked, surprised when she felt disappointment.

"I never said I watched it with him. He had this huge DVD collection in his apartment and when I went there and he was busy on the set, I would choose one and watch it until he came back home. He realized it and one day he separated a section with dozens of movies that he thought I would like; Amelie was just in the middle"

"Julian is the sweetest guy. Too bad Brooke refuses to see it," said Sam.

"I can see it well, thank you. Now press play." The conversation ended and the movie began. Brooke spared a glance at her daughter and sighed. If only she could make her understand. Maybe growing up hadn't been the smartest idea on her part. Sam laughed at something Peyton said and Brooke smiled. She did have Sam and that was great. Brooke forced herself to stop her miserable train of thought and focus on the movie.

She did just that.

Throughout the movie, tears were shed and laughter was shared. The night had been fun, as Julian had predicted. Brooke vaguely wondered if he was going to tell her he was a psychic too. It wouldn't surprise her.

"It was nice tonight," Sam commented as she steered Brooke's wheelchair to her room.

"Yeah, we should do it more often."

"You could invite Julian," Sam said hopefully.

"You're never here when he is here."

"Well, I was giving you privacy but since you have no 'sparks' I might as well be included."

"What did I say about this conversation?" Brooke moved around as she tried to find a comfortable spot. Did she mention how much she couldn't wait to get the damn things off?

"He's moving slow!" Brooke looked at her daughter as Sam raised her voice. "He's waiting around for Owen to seduce you!"

"I am perfectly capable of defending myself against Owen's… seduction," she said awkwardly. She didn't really understand why she was having this conversation with her fifteen year old daughter.

"Then dump him. We both know who the better man is."

"I don't know Sam." She was tired and she wasn't in the mood to discuss her love life with the teen in front of her. "I like having someone there to love me and care for me." She didn't know if she was being honest to herself with that comment, but she didn't particularly care at the moment.

"Cut the crap, Brooke."

"Sam, watch your mouth."

"Sorry but it's been five weeks Brooke and you still can't remember so much as a word from that month. Now, you can either spend the rest of your life unhappy or you can spend your life with an amazing guy." Brooke opened her mouth to say something but Sam cut her off. "And don't say you don't have 'sparks' because you two were like a volcano before."

"You heard us, didn't you?" Sam just nodded, her cheeks turning red.

"What kind of mom I am?" Brooke's voice was muffled as she placed the pillow over her head. "I'm dating two guys, my daughter knows about my sex life, she recommends me porn, and she listens to my sex escapades. I'm officially a failure. If the social workers ever find out, they will never allow me to adopt you."

"You were planning to adopt me?" Sam wanted to hug Brooke but with her casts, that was a bit difficult. She was excited, happy, and a bit fearful at the same time. She had never had a real family before.

"I've been thinking about it. What do you think?"

"I think I like it," Sam mused, smiling.

"Good."

"And Brooke, you are the best mother I could ask for. You're still young; you're supposed to date and have sex. You're supposed to be finding the right guy to spend the rest of your life with."

"I won't be that lucky."

"You already are that lucky." Brooke smiled up at her daughter and offered her the best hug she could, despite the slight pain she felt.

"You're a good kid, Sam."

"Can you bring Jamie by the house tomorrow? Haley said he's missing his godmother," Brooke smiled, laughing when Sam rolled her eyes.

"Sure."

"You do know Julian won't be there tomorrow, right?"

Sam sighed sadly. "Yeah, he's in LA."

"Sam, he won't be here forever. When the movie's done, he'll be back in LA to start another project." She couldn't believe how much it killed her to say it out loud. She always knew that he wouldn't stay but a part of her believed that if he loved her enough, he would. But to say it out loud broke her heart.

"I know." Sam couldn't keep the sadness from her voice. She wouldn't know what to do if her father figure just got up and left them. "He's still got a few more months though. He said he would visit too, until I moved out there."

"What do you mean, 'until you moved out there'?"

"I want to study art production. I need to make some contacts and the best place is LA," Sam shrugged as though it were nothing.

"Oh." It was all Brooke could say. In nearly two years, Sam would be all grown up and ready to move on with her life. It was her second heartbreak of the evening. Now she understood why parents always got so weepy when their kids left for college.

"We could move out there," Sam suggested when Brooke went silent.

Brooke sighed and fingered the strands on her pillow. "My life is out here Sam." Sam's face fell. "We have a lot of time to think about it though. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind."

Sam gave a small smile before her eyes drifted to the clock on Brooke's nightstand. "Oh, time to go to sleep. Without Julian, I have to actually get up early."

"Oh the horror of being a teenager," Brooke teased as Sam walked to her door. Sam smiled as she turned off Brooke's light. "Night, Sam."

"Night, Brooke." Sam took a few steps before she turned back, her smile having grown two sizes. "Don't forget to dream about Julian. We all know who he's dreaming about."

AN: eww at the mention of Brooke jumping on bed with Owen. But I am not crazy and with the exception of half-dozen of kisses and a couple of dates, that's all they had in these three weeks (remember she spent two weeks in the hospital). Broke is just, well, horny... but though she says she would jump on his bed, she wouldn't, casts or not.

I want to show how her relationship with Julian is growing and what will be the consequences of the accident not only in their relationship but in the way she sees things. It seems like people change after having a near death experience.

I also wanted her to interact with more people. Next chapter it will her and Jamie (and Julian) and then we will have a moment a lot of you have been waiting for (on ch11, after the ch with Jamie).

Thanks a lot for the reviews, I appreciate them.