Author's note: I own nothing.

Brooke was anxious. It had been two weeks since she and Julian had decided to get married in Tree Hill. He was in Vancouver and she was staying in the house they had bought. It was a spur of the moment thing, but they had bought the house the day he left for Vancouver. It was crazy.

"Brooke," Haley said as she walked out of the bathroom, "what do you think?"

"It's gorgeous," she said. Haley was trying on her dress for the wedding which would take place in a week. Everything had gone so fast, but it was ok. She wanted to be happy.

"Good," Haley said, "I love it."

"A week," Brooke said, "can you believe Julian and I are getting married in one week?"

"I know, it's going so fast," Haley said. She was worried, mostly about Lucas. He left right after Mouth's wedding to be in New York. She was happy he was finally writing again, just worried about his heart.

"I really appreciate Nathan standing up with Julian."

"Nathan and I would do anything for you, Brooke, you know that."

"It means a lot, to both of us," Brooke said. Julian had asked Lucas, but he declined, his work on the new book wouldn't allow for the fittings and rehearsal, Brooke thought it was just his dislike for Julian.

"Are you happy, Brooke?"

"I'm getting there, Hales," she said, "I'm getting there."

"Good, you deserve it, now help me get out of this dress," Haley laughed. These were the moments she had missed most with Brooke being in L.A. with Julian. Brooke really was her best friend.

"Thank you," Brooke said, "for being here with me, for helping me."

"Brooke, there is no where I would rather be."

"How is Lucas? Julian had asked him to be his best man," Brooke said, "but he said he had too much going on with the new book."

"He's been in New York working on the book with Lindsey, I talked to her yesterday, she said things are going good. He should be back soon, definitely by the wedding, I hope."

"Me too," Brooke said. She couldn't imagine Lucas not being there for her. She had been there at his almost wedding to Lindsey, then with everything with Peyton, losing the baby and breaking off their engagement. He was one of her closest friends, she needed him there.

"I think it is amazing Lucas," Lindsey said as she sat the manuscript on her desk.

"I'm glad you like it."

"You know, everyone thought Peyton was your Comet," Lindsey said, "even me."

"But now?"

"Now," Lindsey said, "I know I was wrong. I don't think it was Peyton at all."

"So what is left to do to get it ready for publishing?"

"Lucas, it is perfect, now go home. Haley said Brooke's wedding is next week, there's a lot going on."

"I know," he said as he picked up the book, "but I'm good here for a while."

"Lucas, you can't hide out here forever."

"Lindsey, I'm not hiding," he said, he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, her or himself. "I just want to get the book ready."

"Luke, it's ready, we will get it in publication and work on the scheduling in a couple of weeks. You need to go home, you need to be there for Brooke's wedding, Lucas, she is your friend."

"I know. I told Julian he would be crazy not to try with her," he laughed, "I guess he took my advice."

"Brooke is an amazing woman," Lindsey said, "he would have been crazy not to tell her what he felt, what was in his heart. You don't let someone like Brooke Davis get away."

"Well, I guess I was crazy," he whispered to himself.

"Go home, Lucas, be with your family, your friends."

Lucas walked up to his door, the door that he had once painted red for Brooke. He was tired, he was frustrated, he was alone. He had let her slip away. He knew the wedding was a week away and she would be Julian Baker's wife.

"Hey," he said as he opened his front door to Haley.

"Hey," she said as she hugged him, "Lindsey said you were coming home."

"Yeah, I just got in about an hour ago."

"You look tired," Haley said as they walked to the kitchen.

"I've been working on the new book."

"Are you ok, Luke?" Haley knew he wasn't, he hadn't been for at least three weeks. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her, something he was hiding.

"Hales, I'm fine."

"Ok, it just seems like you've been distant since Mouth's wedding," she said, he didn't respond, "Nathan said you and Peyton talked."

"Yeah," he said thinking back to that conversation. He hadn't told anyone what Peyton had told him. He wasn't even sure what it meant, but somehow he felt things might have turned out differently if she had stayed in Savannah.

"Peyton and Jake are happy," Haley said, "Jack is getting so big." She was just trying to make small talk at this point, she knew something was on his mind.

"Yeah," he said.

"Lucas, what happened," she asked, "what has you so upset?"

"Peyton," he sighed, "right before you and Nathan's second wedding, she told Brooke that she still loved me."

"What," she asked, "why, you and Brooke were together, and happy."

"I guess she had went to Savannah, and some things with Jake, and she told Brooke that she loved me, that Brooke didn't love me."

"When did you find this out?"

"Mouth's wedding, Peyton told me," he said, "she told me that it's why Brooke broke up with me then."

"Wow," Haley said, it was not at all what she had expected. She knew Lucas was struggling with Brooke marrying Julian, but she had no clue about this.

"So what do I do with this, Haley? What am I supposed to do?"

"Brooke is happy, Luke," Haley said, she hated saying it to him, but she believed it, "she loves Julian, they are getting married. You've got to let go Luke, you have to move on, you have to find love, you deserve that."

"I'm trying."

"I want you to be happy Lucas, I want you to feel the kind of love Nathan and I have," she said as she wiped away a tear.

"I am happy for her, for Brooke, I want her to be happy, Hales," he said, "Peyton and Jake are happy too."

"I'm sorry," she said as she put her hand on his shoulder. She wasn't sure what she was sorry for. God, she wanted Lucas to be happy, she wanted to believe Brooke was happy with Julian, that she was in love. Truth was, Haley wasn't sure. She knew Brooke had struggled because of the betrayal by Lucas and Peyton. They had hurt her so badly, when Julian came along, it seemed like Brooke was finally opening up, but then they left for L.A. and she wasn't sure anymore.

"Me too," he whispered.