Author's Note: I wanted to apologize for the delay in getting a new chapter up for you. I've had this written for weeks but I've been dealing with a lot at home, so this wasn't on my mind. In addition, the alert system on this site wasn't working so I didn't want to upload something when all of you who have subscribed to alerts would be oblivious it had been updated. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Ten.

After leaving Haley's a few hours after she'd arrived, Brooke had decided to head back to Karen's Café for an afternoon pick me up and to see if she could bump into Lucas and compare notes on Nathan and Haley. She still felt like she'd missed something during her talk with Haley, like something was off and she hadn't been able to figure out exactly what.

She was hoping that Lucas, having been Haley's best friend and confidante for… pretty much ever- would have a better idea.

When she got to Karen's, though, Lucas was nowhere to be found. "He's probably off with Peyton," she mused, trying not to be bothered by the idea of him and Peyton getting back together. She flushed as she noticed Karen walking in her direction, hoping the older woman hadn't heard what she'd said. "Heeey…"

Karen gave Brooke a small wave as she came to a stop next to her table, cocking her head to the side. "Are you here as a customer, or as my son's ex-girlfriend, or as my friend?" she asked with a laugh.

Broke made a face, considering. "A little of all three?" she asked after a minute, shrugging. "I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee and a cookie, but I'd like some girl talk, too."

"Where's the Lucas part come in?"

Brooke shrugged, glancing down at the table. "I guess it's less about me being his and me… trying to be his friend? Or at least acknowledging that we have a mutual interest- Haley- and that we both want to see her happy?"

Karen pursed her lips and nodded, giving Brooke a small smile. "You've really grown into yourself, Brooke," she said softly before getting up to get Brooke her food.

Brooke frowned, trying to figure out what Peyton meant by that as she watched the woman prepare her coffee. She didn't have much time, though, since Karen was back within a matter of minutes. "What did you mean I've grown into myself?" Brooke asked, unable to help it. She wasn't even sure if it was a compliment.

With a smile, Karen explained, "It was always a feeling I got from you. That you were… more mature than most of the people around you."

Brooke scoffed, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "Me? More mature?"

Karen shrugged, studying Brooke. "That's part of it, actually. Most people your age like to think they're more mature than they are, and you never did. Out of all my son's friends and girlfriends, I think you're the only one I remember who ever… wanted to enjoy being a kid, a teenager."

Brooke paused, considering this. "I still don't get how that makes me mature, though."

Karen just laughed, shaking her head. "Well, Brooke, if I'd had a friend like you when I was in high school and when I was pregnant with Lucas, I think I would've been a lot happier back then."

Brooke smiled widely, doubting Karen understood just how big of a compliment that was to her.

----

Peyton laughed uncomfortably as she glanced over at Jake, clearing her throat. He wasn't meeting her gaze, so what Peyton was originally ready to write off as a random, childish outburst, suddenly seemed much bigger than that. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, glancing over at Lucas.

Lucas frowned, glancing down at his wrist. "Oh, look at the time!" he announced suddenly, and Peyton couldn't help but notice he didn't actually have a watch on. "I- I gotta get going. So… see you guys later?" He was practically out the door before either of them had a chance to reply. Jenny, on the other hand, gave him a small wave.

Clearing her throat, Peyton turned to look at Jenny. "Hey, could you do me a favor? How 'bout you go upstairs for a few minutes and pick which room you want to sleep in, alright?" She watched Jenny as she darted off, obviously relieved to be free of the awkward conversation.

Jake didn't glance up for another minute or two, giving Peyton an uncomfortable smile. "Kids… huh?"

Peyton laughed awkwardly, bringing her hands to her face and studying him for a minute. "Yeah…" She bit her lip, feeling a little like she was going to pass out. This whole scenario was awkward. Sure, there'd been plenty of times over the years where she'd wondered if she and Jake could ever have a more serious relationship, but she hadn't expected it to become an issue now, and she certainly hadn't expected it to unfold like this. "So… was what she said true?" she asked softly after a minute.

Jake stared at her and swallowed, taking a deep breath. "Which part? Because we have kissed, but not in a tree, and there's no marriage or a baby carriage," he joked lamely, obviously uncomfortable.

Peyton gave him a soft smile, glancing down at her hands for a minute. "You know what I mean," she returned with a shrug.

"Then…" Jake studied her for a minute before dropping his gaze to the floor, nodding slightly. "Then yeah. I-I guess it is."

For a couple seconds, she forgot to breathe. "R-really?" she asked, her voice sounding more nervous than she'd intended. Looking at him, she wouldn't be surprised if his palms were sweating.

Jake nodded, looking up at her. His gaze was obviously pained. "Yeah, but… look, Peyton. I know this could make things awkward but you know I'm your friend, right? It doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to."

Peyton gulped, forcing a small smile. "Right."

The problem was, she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted it to mean something.

----

"Um, Haley James… Scott. I have an appointment with Dr. Lee," Haley spoke quietly to the receptionist, glancing around the clinic. She was a little paranoid, even though she knew it was unlikely she'd run into anyone in the middle of the day here.

"Haley… James… Scott," the woman muttered, searching for her name on the records. "Alright. Take a seat and the doctor will be with you in just a couple minutes, Mrs. Scott."

Haley nodded, going over to the waiting area and picking up a magazine without checking the time. She flipped through it absent-mindedly, not paying any attention. She frowned as her eyes fell on picture in the magazine, frowning a little and flipping it closed to look at the cover.

Fit Pregnancy. She sighed, shaking her head a little and setting the magazine back down, unable to believe the universe's strange way of screwing with her.

Instead, she closed her eyes as she waited for the doctor to come out, figuring she shouldn't try her luck with another magazine. The way her day was going, it would be Healthy Baby or something equally as crazy.

"Haley?" came a voice a couple minutes later, and she glanced up to see a short woman in a white coat standing in the doorway to the medical offices.

Haley nodded, standing up quickly and instantly regretting it as a wave of nausea hit. She swallowed, standing still for a minute until it passed before following Dr. Lee into one of the small rooms.

"Haley," the doctor was saying as Haley sat down on the gray recliner. "So… you think you're pregnant," she summarized, checking her notes. "And your son was born five years ago, right?

"Uh, five and a half. Actually, almost six. He'll be six in June," Haley told her, scooting back in the chair.

The doctor nodded, consulting her chart. "It says here that you were trying to conceive a while with no luck? There aren't really any details… your last doctor didn't make many notes, actually."

Haley nodded, crossing her legs as she looked up at Dr. Lee. "Yeah, uh, there isn't much to say. We tried for about a year and a half… after the first year we went to a fertility specialist in Raleigh. Dr. Wilson?" Haley shrugged. "Anyway, he told us that there was nothing wrong with either of us, at least not physically. Told us we just had to try not to stress too much."

Dr. Lee nodded, glancing over at Haley. "That's easier said than done, huh?"

Haley rolled her eyes, agreeing, "Yeah. With James, we didn't try to conceive. I was still in high school… I actually went into labor with him during my graduation, like something out of a bad movie."

"Any medications?"

Haley shrugged. "Just Clomid. He said it was to check my… ovary reserves or something?" She bit her lip, glancing up at Dr. Lee. "I've been off it for a while, now, though. My husband and I recently separated."

Dr. Lee nodded, making a note on her file. "Alright, Haley. I'm just going to do a test to confirm your pregnancy, and then we can talk about your options."

----

Silence at the office was always bad, especially when Becky was sitting across from him. Nathan had learned quite a while ago that Becky was at her most dangerous when not talking a mile a minute. He glanced over at her, frowning. "What's on your mind?"

Becky glanced up, shrugging. "You should call her."

Nathan didn't need to ask "who" to know who she was talking about. He sighed, setting his pen down and looking at her. "Why? She's the one who decided to end things and she's the one who wants this divorce, so why should I be the one to try to stop it?"

Arching an eyebrow, Becky studied him. "You realize you sound like a kid, right? How old is your son?"

Nathan scoffed, shaking his head. "He's five, but that's not the point. I'm not the one who made this mess, and I'm not going to be the one to pick up the phone and beg her to take me back. You have no idea how much begging I've done in my life."

Becky rolled her eyes, poking Nathan in the arm with her pen. "Oh, come on. You don't know that you didn't make this mess. I mean, obviously she's pissed at you for something. Do you really want to get divorced over some… miscommunication when it may not even be necessary?"

"Who says it wouldn't be necessary?" Nathan grumbled, glancing up at Becky. "Let's say it is miscommunication. Then at the very least she's jumped to conclusions and assumed the worst about me. I don't see why I should be cool with that. And I definitely don't see why I should be the one to approach her."

Becky was quiet for a minute, and then she reached over suddenly and stabbed Nathan with the pen again, this time not pulling it right away. "Because you're supposed to be a responsible adult and you made a commitment to her? For better or worse? Because marriage is more important than some screwed up sense of pride? Take you pick."

Nathan glared at her, pushing the pen away and shaking his head. "If she wants to talk, she can come to me. I'm always the one taking the first step and apologizing, even when it's not all my fault. It's not fair."

"It's not fair?" Becky mimicked, laughing rudely. "Jesus, Nathan, I thought I signed on to work for an adult. When is life ever fair?"

----

Having a five year old hanging from your leg and sitting on your foot definitely made it a little more difficult to walk. Lucas sighed, glancing down at his little sister and shaking his head. "Do you really need to sit like that?" he asked after a minute, stooping down in an effort to get Alana to stand up.

Instead, he was greeted with a giggle and a swat as she pushed his hands away, nodding. "Yeah, it's fun! It feels like I'm being carried away by a giant," she explained with a gleeful squeal, wrapping her legs around his.

Lucas shook his head, forcing his leg along as he stepped into Karen's Café. "Mom, this is the last time I pick her up for you," he joked, depositing his sister on the floor next to the table his mom was sitting with Brooke at and giving the women a small smile. "Man, it seems like every time I come in here you two are talking. If I was a more paranoid person, I'd worry you were talking about me," he only half-joked, sitting down next to Brooke as Alana made herself comfortable next to their mom.

"Well, it's good to see your ego hasn't gotten any smaller," Brooke snorted, giving Alana a small smile. "Aw, I see the Scotts have a new record for prettiest person ever," she giggled, giving the little girl a small wave. "I'm Brooke. I used to know you when you were just a little tiny baby."

Alana grinned, glancing up at Lucas. "She's pretty," she announced decisively, returning Brooke's wave. "Hi," she added shyly.

"Aww, thanks," Brooke replied with a laugh, glancing between the family members.

Karen cleared her throat, gently pushing Alana to get up. "Alana, Mommy needs your help setting up the biscotti for the afternoon rush," she told her daughter as she got up, taking Alana by the hand and leading her away.

Lucas groaned, lowering his head into his hands. "She's… subtle."

Brooke laughed, glancing at Karen for a second before returning her gaze to Lucas. "Yeah… so, uh, do you live with your mom? It occurred to me that you're the only one that I don't have a clue where you live."

Lucas glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact you've been carefully avoiding me for the past five years?"

Brooke flushed, glancing down at her hands and squeezing them together. "Yeeeah… about that…"

With a shrug, Lucas told her, "Don't worry about it. I get it." He paused for a second, glancing over at her. "Come on," he said suddenly, standing up and offering his hand. "I'll show you where I live."

She looked up at him dubiously, then glanced down at his hand. She took a deep breath, hesitantly taking his hand and letting him pull her up. "Okay," she said softly, her voice barely audible.