Okay, beyond annoyed right now, because it has taken me three tries to post this chapter. The reason it took me so long to post this chapter is because I had like five different ideas for the time jump and when I finally decided on one and wrote the next three chapters, I decided that I didn't like it. I felt like it was too similar to season five of the actual show and I didn't want that, so without further ado...here's chapter Nine! Also, One BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL REVIEWERS, because i'm too annoyed to write them individually haha: I LOVE YOU ALL, YOUR REVIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS KEEP ME GOING, THANKS FOR READING! :)

Coming Home

A lot had changed in two years. Change is usually a good thing, right? Some would beg to differ, because a modification of what one believes to be normal is never accepted with ease. However, life is about daily changes. Nothing stays the same forever, but what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves. Change is only accompanied by discomforts if we let our circumstances change us. Therefore, we must change our circumstances in order to achieve true happiness among this inevitable and unavoidable process.

She wasn't about to make that mistake. She stood in front of the floor to ceiling window in her Manhattan penthouse staring out at the place she called home. Contrary to what she forced herself to believe, this wasn't her home, and she wasn't happy. Happiness is in the heart, not the mind. She had never felt more alone in her entire life. Thank God, she had Rachel here, because the few times that Lucas came to visit weren't enough. She took out her phone and scrolled through the names in her cell phone before stopping at a friend. She sighed dialing the number and waited for an answer.

"Hey, it's Brooke," she said uneasily.

"Brooke…hey," she smiled surprised to receive the call, considering they hadn't spoken in five months, "It's late there. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's…fine," returned Brooke. She walked to her dining table and sat down gathering her earlier thoughts. "You know, tonight I went to a movie premiere with Nick Zano, and I couldn't have felt more out of place. My dreams are coming true, but I feel like I'm living someone else's life. That probably doesn't make any sense…" Brooke trailed off.

"No, no, it makes all the sense in the world. I know exactly how you feel. Are you happy, Brooke?"

"I'm trying to be," answered Brooke, "I should be happy. I have this amazing life. That should be enough."

"I think it's only enough if you have someone to share it with," she argued, "Love is enough."

Brooke wiped her tears and smiled at her friend's words. She knew exactly what she had to do, and she wasn't going to waste any time. She had love…it just wasn't in New York.

"Are you happy?" asked Brooke.

"I wish I could say yes, but no…I'm not happy," she answered, "What happened to us? Four years ago, I thought I had it all. Hell, two years ago, I told myself that I would get everything together. I thought I would have my entire life figured out by now."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," sighed Brooke, "Do you miss him?" Both knew exactly who she was referring to.

"Everyday…but I never expected him to wait for me. Someday didn't come soon enough, and I don't know if it ever will for me." She noticed Brooke's silence on the other end and thought that she must be comparing that statement to herself. "You still have time, Brooke. Don't give up on him yet…and most importantly, don't give up on yourself. You can change things."

"Thanks," replied the brunette, "You shouldn't give up so easily either. There's still time for someday."

"Thank you, Brooke." She paused before speaking again. "I think we need to go home."

"I was thinking the same thing, Peyton," she smiled.

Lucas walked out onto the river court in the dead of night. The moon was full, the stars were bright, and the court was dimly lit by the street lamps. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and admired the signatures on the court. The signatures he and his closest friends had placed there four short years ago. It seemed like it was yesterday; they were all standing there, vowing that nothing between them would ever change. That was far from the truth, because everything had changed.

His admiration for the signatures on the court soon turned into regret. Sometimes it felt like it was yesterday, but sometimes it felt like it was someone else's memory…like this wasn't his life. He could think of so many moments in his life, where he could have done something differently…something to change the outcome of the way his life was turning out. All of those moments involved her. Sure, they were together…he should be happy for that. They really weren't together though…she was in New York, and he was here.

Brooke tiredly lied down on her couch after getting back late from an event. Rachel tossed her purse aside, and watched as Brooke pulled out her cell phone.

"Have you talked to Lucas yet?" asked Rachel.

"I'm about to," replied Brooke.

Brooke opened the front door and called Rachel's name. She heard her reply from the bedroom. Brooke walked to the room and leaned against the doorway. Rachel had clearly just gone shopping. She was trying on a couple new shirts with hangers and empty bags thrown about the room.

"Oh, look what the dog dragged in," smirked Rachel.

"I'm pretty sure it's cat," Brooke corrected her. Rachel gave her a confused face. "The expression…it's 'look what the cat dragged in' dumbass," laughed Brooke.

"Whatever, whore," she grinned, "Your mom is a fucking bitch by the way." Brooke rolled her eyes but completely agreed with the comment. "She also cancelled my next photo shoot, which I was totally amped for!"

"Actually, that was me," said Brooke hesitantly, "And yes, there is a very good reason."

"Okay, let's hear it," she returned curiously.

"Wanna go to Tree Hill with me?" asked Brooke hopefully.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of Brooke's reasoning for wanting to go home. "Why are you so sentimental all of a sudden?"

"I've just had some time to think and reevaluate my life, and I need to go home," shrugged Brooke.

"Well, I've moved around a lot, but Tree Hill is the one place I consider home," sighed Rachel.

"Does that mean you'll come with me?"

"Sure, I could use a little vaca," smiled Rachel.

"Awesome; we leave in three days!" exclaimed Brooke excitedly.

"Whoa!" Rachel interrupted Brooke's excitement, "You booked the flight and cancelled my shoot before even asking me if I wanted to go?" Brooke nodded with gritted teeth. "Something I would do; I like it, Davis," smirked the red head. Brooke laughed at the comment. "Does he know that you're coming?"

"Nope, I think I want to surprise him, but I kind of want to tell him," Brooke smiled. She couldn't help but be excited.

"Good for you," said Rachel, "You were always telling Lucas to fight for you, so it's about time you start fighting for him too. I should know; you slapped me right after you told him to the first time."

"There's one more thing," said Brooke. Rachel raised an eyebrow for her to continue. "Peyton is coming too."

"Are you fucking joking?" asked Rachel, "That two faced bitch is leaving her big shot producer to go home."

"I don't know if they're breaking up, but she's coming," returned Brooke, "Is that okay?"

"Whatever; just don't expect me to be nice to her," Rachel warned her, "Don't give me that look either. I'm never going to like her, and I'm just looking out for you Brookie."

Brooke raised her eyebrows at her friend, and Rachel took the hint to leave the room. She took a deep breath before pressing her number one speed dial. She knew he was probably asleep, but this was important.

Lucas groaned and rolled over in bed as his phone began ringing. He half smiled when he saw that it was Brooke calling him.

"Hey, pretty girl," he answered with a tired yawn, "I wasn't expecting you to call."

"You never expect me to call," she sighed.

It had been nearly two years since Lucas completed his book tour and returned to Tree Hill, while Brooke remained in New York. They talked on the phone every day, and they visited each other as often as possible. As the months went on, everyday turned into once a week, and as often as possible turned into never, because they didn't have the time. Lucas was always messing around with ideas for his next novel, and Brooke was busier than ever with her company.

"Can you blame me?" asked Lucas. He didn't mean to sound upset, but he just missed her so damn much.

She wanted to call him earlier in the week, but she didn't have the courage to do it, until now. He sounded upset with her, so she was glad that she was doing this now.

"I…I…guess not," she choked out.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately noticing her tone.

"Nothing," she replied quickly.

"Brooke, I don't need to see you with my eyes to know that something is going on with you. What's on your mind?"

"Us…" she finally murmured, "I've just been thinking a lot about you and me." Lucas closed his eyes as he listened to her words. They've had this conversation numerous times, but something was different about this. "I didn't think it was gonna be this hard, Luke. Not with us," Brooke admitted. She had done the whole long distance relationship with Chase, and it didn't work; it was different with Lucas, though, and she really thought that they could get through it. Thought…past tense.

"I know; we've talked about this," said Lucas, "We're going to make this work."

"You keep saying that, but how long are we going to keep 'making it work?'" she questioned. There was silence on Lucas' end, so she continued. "We don't have an expiration date, and we can't have a long distance relationship forever. I can't do that."

"I know…" he sighed, "I don't know what to say."

Lucas had to sit down. He rubbed his forehead as he held the phone to his ear. The only thing they could hear was the sound of each other's breath.

"We can't do this," said Brooke, "I mean…I can't do this anymore."

Lucas cringed as she spoke. Those words were all too familiar. There was much silence on both ends of the line.

"Brooke, please don't do this," Lucas pleaded, "I know this hasn't been easy but…"

"But nothing," she interrupted him, "I'm not going to tell you to fight for me, because you have been. You once told me that I never fought for you, and you were right." Lucas didn't like where this was going as he remembered the party senior year when he told her that. He suddenly became confused at her next words. "It's my turn to start fighting for you…and for us," she smiled into the phone.

"What are you saying?" he asked, a smile creeping onto his face. He thought about the time she had told him to fight for her.

Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed defeated from the backseat as Lucas jumped out of his car to chase after Brooke.

"Brooke!" Lucas called after her. She turned around with her hands on her hips, and Lucas tried to explain himself. "This isn't what it looks like. Anyway, I don't get why you're so upset."

"You're kidding, right?" returned Brooke in disbelief. How could he not know that she would be upset about something like this? Just because she told him to see other people, it didn't mean she actually wanted him to.

"You're the one who wanted to be non exclusive," he argued, "I'm just doing what you wanted."

"What I wanted?" questioned Brooke. God, she wasn't even upset with him. Okay, the fact that fucking Rachel Gatina was naked in his back seat ticked her off, but she wasn't upset with him. She was disappointed and hurt. "I wanted you to fight for me!" said Brooke, "I wanted you to say there is no one else you could ever be with and that you'd rather be alone than without me. I wanted the Lucas Scott from the beach that night telling the world that he's the one for me."

"How was I supposed to know that?" asked Lucas hopelessly. He just couldn't win with this girl. He thought that by literally doing everything she told him to that she would finally want to be with him exclusively. What he didn't know was that she wanted him to prove to her that she could trust him again.

"You just are," said Brooke.

She glanced past him at Rachel and made her way over to the red head, who was sitting in the back seat. "And one more thing," she muttered. Without a seconds thought, Brooke slapped Rachel across her face. Rachel grabbed her now reddened cheek completely caught off guard. Brooke kneeled down to look Rachel in the eye. "Don't ever hit me again," she warned her.

Brooke walked off glancing at Lucas one last time. He stood there watching her leave, feeling completely defeated.

"I'm coming home…to Tree Hill," she finally said. Lucas' mouth fell open in shock and happiness. He was expecting her to break up with him, but she was doing quite the opposite. He fucking loved this girl. Brooke suddenly got worried when she didn't hear him reply. "Luke, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm…I'm here," he stuttered excitedly, "I'm just surprised."

"Oh…"

"In a good way, babe, I'm happy," he corrected himself, "Wow. What's your mom gonna say? What are you going to do about Clothes Over Bro's?"

Brooke grinned to herself feeling comforted by his words.

"Victoria can say whatever the hell she wants, and I can run the company from Tree Hill," she answered, "I just want to be with you, and I want to be home."

"I wish I could kiss you right now," he sighed as he sat up in his bed.

"You'll be able to soon," Brooke reassured him, "Just have a little patience."

"I have absolutely no patience when it comes to you. When are you coming?"

"It's a surprise; you'll know when you see me," she beamed.

After talking to Brooke, Lucas couldn't fall back asleep. He had a million thoughts racing through his head, and he needed to talk to his best friend. He immediately called Haley, who seemed extremely annoyed that he was calling so late, but she agreed to stop by anyway.

He walked over to his dresser and pulled out the top drawer. Just as he did, Haley came bursting through the door.

"Okay, I'm here," she mumbled, "What is so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? It's like two in the morning."

"Brooke's coming home…for good," replied Lucas.

"That's awesome!" exclaimed Haley, "I can't wait to see her! When is she coming? Is she moving in with you, or is she getting her own place? Oh my God, has she…"

"Hales, slow down," Lucas laughed. Haley sighed realizing she was rambling.

"She wouldn't tell me, and we didn't really have time to talk about her living situation," answered Lucas.

"Oh, okay. So, what'd you need my help with?" asked Haley.

Lucas turned back around to his drawer and pulled out a small black box. He fidgeted with it in his hand before turning around and showing it to Haley. He opened the box, and her eyes widened realizing it was Keith's ring. Lucas smiled as he thought about the night he and Brooke had pretended to be engaged. This ring belonged on her finger. Haley closed the box and handed it back to Lucas, causing him to worry.

"What?" he questioned, "Do you think it's too soon?"

"No, no…I mean…I don't know," stuttered Haley thinking about it. Nobody wanted to see Brooke and Lucas together more than Haley, but she wondered if he was rushing to propose just because he was afraid of her leaving for New York again. "You two have been doing the whole long distance thing for so long. Don't you think that you should let her get settled before you pop the question?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he returned staring at the box, "My head is just all over the place right now. I can't even plan something special, because she won't tell me when she's coming."

"Maybe that's why she isn't telling you," noticed Haley.

"What do you mean?" Lucas wondered curiously.

"Maybe she doesn't want you to plan something special or make a big deal out of her homecoming," she shrugged.

He looked at Haley suspiciously as she turned away from him. She always did that when she knew something that he didn't. The only reason Brooke would make sure that he wasn't going to do something was if she was up to something herself.

"Alright, thanks for coming over, Hales," he smiled knowingly.

Peyton stood in front of her apartment door in Los Angeles, hesitating before going inside. She closed her eyes, thinking about her life and how she'd gotten here. Ever since her encounter with Lucas two years ago, she vowed that she was going to be a different person. So, that's exactly what she did. She wasn't in love with Lucas, and she never would be. She had wasted her time forcing herself to love him. She loved the idea of him, because she missed the person that truly completed her, Jake. Peyton soon realized that she needed to move on from Jake too.

She smiled, knowing that her boyfriend was inside. He was the one reason that she had been able to cope with these past couple years. She loved him, but she felt guilty because there were many times when she had thought about Jake. After talking to Brooke, she realized that she needed to finally find herself before she could find love, and she needed to go home to do that. Peyton finally got the courage to go inside. She smiled at him as she went inside, and he looked up from his computer and smiled in return.

"Hey, you're back early," he said focusing back on the script he was reading, "How was work?"

"I quit my job," said Peyton. This caused Julian to pay attention to her now.

"Why would you do that?" asked Julian.

"Because I'm not happy there, Julian. I haven't been for awhile now," she answered.

She wasn't even surprised that he hadn't noticed how much she hated her job. Over the past two years, their relationship had changed, especially in the past couple of months. They didn't pay attention to each other as much as they used to.

"You never talked to me about it," he noted.

"I tried!" exclaimed Peyton, "You never wanted to listen. You were always busy reading scripts or on the phone or…"

"That's because it's my job, Peyton!" he argued throwing his hands up from his seat.

"I know that," sighed Peyton, "But we never just talk anymore, and I miss you."

Julian stood up and walked over to Peyton. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. Peyton put her own arms around him, feeling comforted by the hug, which only made her dread what she had to tell him next.

"I'm gonna go home for a little while, to Tree Hill," she murmured.

Julian pulled away from her and looked away. He laughed but not out of humor. It was because he couldn't believe how naive he had been. Peyton gave him a confused look, and Julian suddenly became serious again as he crossed his arms and locked eyes with her.

"It's not just your job that you're unhappy with," he alleged, "You're unhappy with me too."

"No, it's not you, Julian…" Peyton tried to explain herself, but Julian interrupted her.

"You think I don't know that you went to see him!" exclaimed Julian, his frustration getting the better of him.

"What are you talking about?" asked Peyton nervously. Her thoughts immediately went to Jake, but she couldn't figure out how he could have known anything.

"You know what the fuck I'm talking about!" he shouted. He took a breath to calm himself down. "Five months ago," he continued, "You said you were going to Atlanta for work."

"I did," she put in.

"Don't lie to me," returned Julian, "You went to Savannah to see that Jake guy. I saw the email you sent your friend, Brooke. You told her that you were going to go see him."

Peyton closed her eyes again, remembering her trip to Savannah.

Peyton parked her car in front of the house…his house. She double checked the address on the piece of paper in her hand to confirm that she was at the right place. She had no idea what she was going to say to him, but she wanted to know if what she was feeling was real. She needed to either let go or give in completely. She made her way up the walkway and rang the doorbell. She contemplated turning around, but the door swung open. A young woman with long blonde hair, who looked to be about twenty years old, opened the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked studying Peyton.

"I'm sorry…um…" Peyton looked at the woman, unsure of what to say. She didn't even know what she was going to say to Jake let alone this girl who he was clearly with. "I must have the wrong house." She turned around to leave, until the woman spoke again.

"You're Peyton," she stated simply. Peyton turned around surprised that the woman knew who she was. "Come on in," she said waving Peyton inside. Peyton hesitated before following her inside the house.

Peyton admired the pictures on the wall as they walked through the hallway. They made their way into the kitchen, and Peyton sat down at the table.

"Would you like a glass of water?" the woman asked.

"Um…sure," Peyton replied politely, "Thank you." She poured them each a glass of water and sat down across from Peyton. "How do you know me?" asked Peyton curiously.

"I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself," the woman laughed. She held out her hand to Peyton. "I'm Sara, Jake's wife."

"His wife?" questioned Peyton.

"Yeah," smiled Sara, "We've been married for nine and a half months now." Peyton nodded and smiled slightly, even though she felt a little disappointed. "Anyway, he used to talk about you all the time when we first met, and I've seen old pictures with you in them," she went on.

Peyton couldn't help but notice the emphasis on the words 'used to.' Sara was clearly telling Peyton that Jake was over her.

"So, what brings you to Georgia?" asked Sara, narrowing her eyes.

"I um…I'm on a business trip in Atlanta," lied Peyton. Sara nodded suspiciously but decided that she had no reason not to believe Peyton, because she really didn't know her. "I thought I'd come to Savannah and visit Jake and Jenny while I'm here," finished Peyton.

"Jake should be home soon," she grinned, "He just took Jenny to the dentist; she chipped a tooth this morning. Just a baby tooth, but she was scared shitless."

Peyton was quiet for a moment. She was suddenly having doubts about coming there. What was she going to say to Jake, especially now that she knew he was married?

"You know what…I…" Peyton stuttered uncomfortably. She stood up looking down at the table before returning her eyes to Sara. "Um…I actually can't stay."

"Are you sure? Jake would love to see you," said Sara.

That made Peyton feel even worse. She had gone there to tell this woman's husband that she had feelings for him. Sara was too sweet, though, and Peyton couldn't do that. Otherwise, she would be doing the same thing she did to Brooke in high school.

"Yeah, I have to go, but thank you," returned Peyton appreciatively.

"Okay, it was nice meeting you, Peyton," said Sara.

Peyton opened the front door and walked outside closing it behind her. She let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. She looked back at the door and smiled, because she knew that she was doing the right thing. She was walking down the walkway towards her car, but suddenly stopped in her tracks when she saw the familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. Then, she heard the little girl's voice.

"Dad, its Peyton! The girl from the pictures you showed me!"

Peyton swallowed nervously as she turned towards him. She couldn't help but smile as she saw Jenny holding his hand and pointing at her with the other, and her heart nearly melted when she locked eyes with him.

"Nothing happened," Peyton finally said. Julian scoffed and looked away from her again. "Julian, I'm sorry I lied to you, but I swear nothing happened with Jake. He's not the reason I'm going home. I love you..."

She couldn't believe this was happening. Jake didn't even live in Tree Hill, so why was Julian blaming this on him?

"You don't love me, Peyt," Julian quickly refuted. Peyton parted her lips in surprise at his comment. "You chose to stay with me when you couldn't have him. I never said anything to you before, because…I thought that you could love me, but I'm done. I'm not going to be anyone's second choice, especially not yours."

"What are you saying?" she questioned. Peyton eyes were filled with tears, and she was at a loss for words. She didn't know what she could do or say to fix this.

"I'm saying that right now, you need to work on you, and I need to work on me," stated Julian. Peyton shook her head. Julian walked towards the door and looked back at her. "I'll be back later for my stuff." Peyton finally began to cry as she stared at the door that Julian had just walked out of.

Haley leaned against the door frame of Jamie's room and smiled as she watched him sleep. She couldn't believe that four years ago he was born. Her life had been far from easy since then, but she couldn't ask for anything more. She had a beautiful son, an amazing husband, and a career she truly enjoyed. Sure, teaching at Tree Hill High wasn't her dream, but she loved it.

Nathan walked up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her. Haley sighed as Nathan kissed her neck. He, too, smiled as he admired his sleeping son. He never would have imagined that his life would be like this. It was better than anything he could have imagined, because he had Haley and Jamie. That was all he needed. He was still recovering from his back injury, but he wasn't going to let one setback overcome him. Haley left Jamie's room and went to their bedroom with Nathan following closely behind her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Nathan held her by her waist and looked into her eyes.

"I know these past few months haven't been easy, and I know we're not the couple we used to be," said Nathan, "But we're gonna get there, Hales. I promise you."

"I know," she sighed, "I love you."

"I love you too," said Nathan.

They both climbed into bed under the covers, and Haley snuggled into Nathan.

"Have you…um…talked to Lucas lately?" asked Haley.

"Not in a couple days," he answered. Nathan raised an eyebrow at Haley, because she clearly wanted to say something. "Why? Is he okay?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he's great. Brooke told him that she's coming home. I talked to her this morning, and she wants us to help her surprise him," answered Haley.

"Alright, that's good news," added Nathan, "It's about time things change around here."

A/N: So, what did you think? Review and Let Me Know! All Suggestion and Comments are helpful :)