AN: Holy cow. I officially LOVE you guys. I was stressing out over that last chapter, I must have re-read that thing a dozen times before I posted it. I was aiming for confusion and a fast pace so things would be somewhat whirlwind. After all, we are talking about Tree Hill now, aren't we :D I've got some thank yous at the bottom. This chapter is sort of a wrap up of what happened at the Christmas party, and how Lucas is dealing with all the sudden revelations. Brucas makes a brief appearance in this chapter, but don't worry everyone. They'll be on full force next chapter, and I've already got the outline written so it'll be coming shortly after this one. And now, on with the story….
The minute Lucas opened the door to his mom's diner and Amber stepped through the entrance, he had this bad feeling. He knew this was a mistake, and he almost shut the door behind her and walked away. However, leaving Amber alone with his mother and all his friends was probably not the best idea. He really didn't mind the girl, and leaving her to the lynch mob wasn't a nice way to repay her for all the times she'd bailed his ass out of a bar. Sending a silent plea on the wind, he gathered his nerve.
The bad feeling only got worse when he saw Brooke standing with his mother. And then Amber opened her big mouth, and yeah, he knew trouble was brewing. When Amber placed his hand on her hip like some clothing accessory, he felt a flash of anger. These were his friends and family, what did she think she was doing!? He moved inside, knowing that if he didn't he really was going to pull back and leave her out to dry.
Why in the world did I agree to do this? Wait, I know. She's standing over there next to my mother, looking like the Christmas angel, and she's exactly the reason I am here. You've gotten yourself in a mess of trouble now man. He sighed, and went to give his mother a hug hello. He winced again as Amber said something in that high pitched voice, and wondered if she'd always sounded like that, and if so, how in the world had he failed to notice that?!
Surprising him, Brooke played nice, even stepped in on Karen's behalf which earned yet another mark of gratitude in the imaginary playbook running in Lucas' mind. He was momentarily taken aback when Amber lied about not knowing who Brooke was, but brushed it off. He figured she'd had her reasons, and he wasn't in the mood to get into a shouting match with the raven haired girl.
It was hard trying to choose between his girlfriend and his mother, and it occurred to him that a healthy relationship shouldn't have made him draw those lines. It looked like the afternoon was going to be filled with little revelations here and there. Has Brooke brought this all about? This sudden awakening to the world that I've just, stumbled through for the last year? Do I really want this? For a moment, he was worried. Then he just shrugged. It was what it was.
If only he'd known that his discomfiture was easily discernable all over his face, he probably could have kept the entire afternoon from being a total wash out. Everyone else clearly saw how embarrassed he was by Amber's antics, and were mentally scratching their heads, wondering why in the world he was putting up with it all. He wasn't honestly sure he could answer that question either. Left on his own with Amber, he was forced to watch her interact with his friends.
Lucas could clearly see how awkward Amber was making all the guests. He noticed every reaction, registered every roll of the eyes and whispered comment as they moved on to the next group of people. He started to get a little angry at the fact that no one had mentioned just how despised his girlfriend truly was. Then he'd catch a glimpse of Brooke out of the corner of his eye, or smell her perfume in the air, and forget his frustration.
She looks so beautiful. I've missed hearing that bubbly laugh. How did we all end up this way? How have I let things fall apart so badly? Talking with mom today was an eye opener. I truly messed up with so many relationships, I need to spend the time and put in the effort to make things right again.
FLASHBACK
"Hey mom. Merry Christmas." Lucas walked in the kitchen door, unsure as to how to approach his mother. He'd had tons to think about since he'd left Nathan and Haley's.
"Hey honey. Merry Christmas to you too. You're home early. Or wait. Maybe late?" Karen stepped up and pecked her blonde son on the cheek.
"Yeah, I spent the night over at Nathan's. I was out walking around and lost track of time and ended up crashing there. Sorry, I should have called." Lucas mumbled under his breath, trying to find a way to avoid mentioning the fact that he'd spent the night with Brooke. Not that he was embarrassed by it, but he didn't want Amber to over hear a chance conversation. If there's one thing he had learned from high school, it was to watch what he said.
"Oh. How are Nathan and Haley? Did they have a good Christmas?" She was genuinely interested, she'd missed talking to Haley and Nathan. They hadn't come by as much after Lily's death.
"They're doing really well. James had an awesome Christmas, and gave me a picture frame with a picture of us. I didn't realize just how much I'd missed hanging out with their little man until he'd handed me that." Lucas looked embarrassed, for good reason.
"That was sweet of him. Will they be by later for the dinner?"
"I think so. Nathan said something about gathering the presents for the other friends and family and making the rounds. Hales was kind of busy." Crap. How was he going to explain Brooke's visit?
"Oh? How sweet. Does Haley need any help?" Karen was wiping dishes down and finishing up her chores in the kitchen before making her way over to the diner. She'd still needed to finish decorating and setting up the drinks and snacks before the caterer showed up.
"Naw, she's good. Brooke's over there and they're talking and playing catch up." There. Maybe she'd overlook it?
"What?!" Karen spun around and stared at her son. So much for letting it slip by.
"Uh, yeah. Apparently Brooke came to visit. She's here for a little while, not real sure how long though. I'm sure she'll come by and say hello." Lucas ran his hands through his hair for what felt like the fifth time in as many hours and tried to gather his thoughts.
"Wow! Maybe this will be a good Christmas after all! I ran into Rachel on the street yesterday and she said that Skillz was in town too. It seems like most of your old friends are here." His mother smiled quietly, thinking back on all that had happened since she'd watched her son graduate. "How are you handling Brooke's visit?"
"It was so great to see her again. Listen, can we sit down and talk for a little bit? There's some stuff I realized the last day, and well, I'd like to run it past you." Lucas pulled out a chair at the dining table for his mom, and was grateful when she sat down.
"Sure honey, what's on your mind?" Karen was intrigued to say the least. She'd slowly watched the change take over her son the past seasons, and while she'd done what she could to stop the progression into his own personal hell, there was only so much a mother could do for her son.
"I'm sorry mom. Really, truly sorry. I've started to realize that I've let go, and things have spiraled out of control. I know I've been a walking zombie here lately, and I can only imagine how hard this all must have been for you. When Lily…when she di-died" Lucas was stumbling over his words. He had never talked to his mother about his sister's death, and the final loss of what they'd both held onto from Keith. This was proving harder than he'd expected.
"Hey, easy now honey. It's alright. We don't have to talk about Lily if you don't want to." She was touched by her son's efforts in talking. Karen had been concerned that Lucas was hiding from reality, and while it tore at her heart to hear her dead daughter's name, to be able to talk to Lucas about it all made that same broken heart soar.
"No, I need to do this. Did you know I still haven't gone and seen her grave? I can't bring myself to visit her headstone. I've stood for countless hours on end just staring at it from the hill behind the graveyard, but I can't bring myself to step inside the gates. It's like, if I do, then she really is gone, and I can't bring her back for you. Oh ma, I wish so badly I'd been here!" Lucas wailed, his voice thick with pain and loss. He'd buried his feelings deep down for so long, it hurt to bring them to light again.
Karen stood up and walked over to her son, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He turned his face into her apron like he had countless times as a child, and just sobbed. He'd shut his mother out of his life, and here she was, open arms and warm love, no judgment or anger. He didn't deserve having this strong woman as his mother.
Karen held her son for as long as it took to ease his shaking shoulders. After he calmed down enough to breathe normal, she went to the sink and soaked a towel so he could wipe his face and handed him a glass of water. After that, they just sort of sat there, rambling on about anything, reconnecting as a mother and son.
Lucas wasn't sure how to handle the new observations he was making. Sure, he'd always known that Amber was a fill-in for the woman he'd really wanted, but he had figured there was at least a semblance of friendship between them. But, as he watched friend after friend mutter their way thru pleasantries and then find the first convenient excuse to move away, he began to honestly look at his girlfriend.
When dinner finally rolled around, he was relieved to have something else to focus his attention on. Even though he didn't eat much – his appetite was chased away by the tension he'd been feeling ever since they'd walked through the door – he at least pretended to eat. He noticed his mother was having the same issue, and a ghost of a smile hovered on his mouth…like mother like son, eh?
He snapped out of his reverie when Brooke asked Amber how she liked living in Tree Hill. He loved Brooke all the more for trying to salvage his mother's holiday dinner, and play nice with his girlfriend. Why couldn't his girlfriend have been as friendly??
"So, Amber, tell me. How do you like living in Tree Hill?" Brooke asked.
"Oh, alright I guess. It's been fun for the most part, but this town is so quiet! I can see now why Lucas is so good in bed, it's the only thing to do around here!" Amber sneered.
Lucas hissed in shock, and fumbled in his head for something to say to cover up her utter lack of tact. His mother beat him to it, and he did the best he could to cover up his embarrassment, and anger by making a hasty withdrawal.
If only Amber had gone along. The next thing he knew, Amber was whining, and Brooke was standing, and then the clear sound of skin connecting with skin echoed through the restaurant as Brooke slapped Amber for making a horrible comment.
Lucas was shocked. No, he was floored. He was flabbergasted. He knew Brooke had a temper, but he'd rarely seen it rear up like that. Not that Amber hadn't deserved it. He stood there, again, confused, and trying desperately to find a way to salvage the entire scene. It seemed like all the women in his life were determined to save him, as Peyton walked through the door and backed up Brooke. It gave him the convenient excuse he'd needed, and, dragging Amber out by the arm, Lucas high tailed it. He was sure he'd left a confused bunch of people, and probably a fuming Brooke behind, but right now he needed to deal with his girlfriend…soon to be ex-girlfriend.
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"Peyton!" Brooke, momentarily stunned at Lucas' sudden departure, shook herself and jumped from her seat to hug the slender blonde.
"B. Davis! God it's good to see you! Already starting trouble I see." Peyton winked at her best friend of more years than she'd cared to count, and returned the fierce embrace. Their sudden joy in seeing each other released the remaining tension in the room, and people all of a sudden started talking and excitedly mumbling over the events that had just taken place.
Karen was immensely relieved that someone had finally stepped up and done something about that wretched girl. She honestly couldn't see what her son found so appealing in Amber, but she had high hopes that after the scene they'd just witnessed, he was doing some serious reconsidering.
Haley and Nathan, still trying to process what had just happened, glanced at each other over their son's head, and then broke out in mile wide grins and started laughing. Go Brooke they both cheered. Then Haley jumped up too and ran to give Peyton a hug.
Seeing as how there's now two free spaces at their table, Karen and Brooke shifted over one so Peyton could sit down. The gang began to catch up over all that had gone on in the past three years. Peyton babbled about some sort of record label she'd signed onto, and Brooke was truly happy for her friend. So much had happened between them, but it didn't seem to matter. Peyton had backed her up without having to know why, and she had taken the first public step in fixing the mess that was Lucas Scott.
Mentally filing away for later the reference to the call that Amber made before Lucas stormed out, she began to enjoy her dinner surrounded by friends and family. She had gotten a chance to talk to Karen, who had informed her that Lucas had mentioned Brooke's visit earlier, and was happy to find out that Lucas had opened up to her. It seemed like things were moving along nicely, and she was excited for the first time in a long, long while. She might just be able to save her gorgeous, blue eyed broody boy, and the thought sparked a warm fuzzy feeling all throughout her body.
They finished their dinner and had drinks with the gang for old times' sake. When Nathan and Haley begged off with a sleeping James in his daddy's arms, Brooke decided to stay so she could spend some time with Peyton. She also wanted to give Nathan and Haley some alone time in their own house for Christmas.
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Lucas was furious. Amber had crossed the line, and the entire way home he started to examine all the past interactions he'd had with his friends when Amber was around. A strange comment here, a question there about why Amber was so jealous of his friends, a look from a friend when Amber would insist on going home as soon as Lucas was starting to have fun.
The realization that Amber had been slowly cutting him off from all his friends dawned in Lucas' eyes, and he became even more infuriated, if that was possible. It was no wonder he'd felt so lonely and abandoned, all his friends were being chased off by the bitch he thought was his girlfriend.
"What do you think you're doing?! Saying those kinds of things to Brooke? How dare you?!" Lucas was incensed. Not even bothering to keep his voice under control, he was pacing back and forth in the living room at home.
"Oh puh-lease. That skank was eyeing you all afternoon, and I didn't appreciate how she was drooling over you. You're MY boyfriend after all! And why are you mad at me! She's the one who slapped me, or don't you remember that part?!" Amber's voice was dripping with sarcasm and barely suppressed venom. She couldn't believe the way that brunette girl had ogled Lucas. Didn't she know Lucas was spoken for already?
"Do NOT refer to Brooke that way. In fact, you need to just leave. I've had enough. I finally saw tonight what everyone else has been seeing, and I find myself in agreement with Haley and Nathan. You're not worth the time of day, and I can't believe I've wasted so much of my time on you. To think! I'd defended you to my friends, to my own mother! Lord only knows how poorly you've treated her when I wasn't looking!" Lucas was on a roll now. The flashes of memory kept coming, and he was truly appalled at all the times he'd turned away from the truth. Just because this girl had dragged his ass out of a couple bars didn't mean he'd owed it to her to let her walk all over the people he loved. Shit, she'd probably gotten him drunk just so she could drag him home!
"Oh what? You think you're mister big pants now that your precious Brooke is back in town? Did she tell you that I'd called her? I acted all quiet and nervous and fearful, and let me tell you, I should have won an Oscar for that performance. She didn't even want to come! I could hardly keep myself from gagging!"
"You called her? How did you get her number?" Lucas was briefly stopped in his pacing. He was still insanely pissed off and angry at the entire situation. But the thought crept into his mind…how come Brooke hadn't mentioned a phone call from his girlfriend?
"Haley gave it to me. She cornered me at the store a few weeks back and threatened to have the entire basketball team beat me up if I didn't call that whore and ask for help. Although I couldn't see what that brunette street walker –"
"You will stop talking about her that way, right now." His voice was low and deep with seriousness. He wasn't about to let some managing, annoying woman refer to his friend and true love that way.
"Yeah, okay, whatever. Anyways, that school mom friend of yours can be pretty convincing when she wants to be, and well, I figured if I played all quiet and innocent then Brooke wouldn't think it was all that big a deal and just forget it. I don't think you need her help, I was just trying to protect my own neck. I like you the way you are…all mine." Amber was now enjoying having Lucas' attention focused on her. If only she'd known him better, she'd have been able to discern that the look he was giving her wasn't a particularly good thing.
Look how far you've fallen man. This woman in front of you has managed to drive a massive wedge between you and all your friends. I've been waking up every morning depressed and pissed and ready to die, and ten to one, she's had a HUGE role in all that. And I just let it all happen. Shaking with the pent up anger and frustration and confusion over all that had happened in the last couple of days, he repeated his words from earlier.
"You need to leave. I'm going to go see if I can meet up with my friends, start to repair the damage you've caused. I want you packed and out of my life for good by midnight." With that, Lucas grabbed his basketball from the table by the door, snagged his sweatshirt and jacket, and slammed the door behind him, leaving a dumbstruck Amber standing in the middle of the room.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---
Lucas found himself standing on that familiar blacktop again, but this time, his world was all out of whack. He'd used to be able to come here and find his center, find himself in the sound of the ball swishing through the basket, the echo of the dribble sounding out over the water.
Man. I've seriously screwed up. I thought it was bad before. If only I'd had the smallest inkling. Haley's making threats, my friends are all shying away from me, and now Brooke's here, presumably as a result of a phone call my now ex-girlfriend made. What in the world is going on?!
"Hey dude! Wanna pass that ball over here?" Nathan had stepped up to the court, seeing his brother out all by himself. The day had dawned nice and crisp that morning, and there was still a hint of the sun's warmth in the air. After he'd settled James and Haley in the house, he'd decided the basket was calling his name. He was pleasantly surprised and pleased to see Lucas already there.
Snapping out of his musings, he saw Nathan, and grinned. It felt good to smile again, a real, true smile. Nodding, he passed the ball over and they began a simple warm up of shooting and passing the ball. The familiar moves and gestures began to ease Lucas' stress and concern, and he began to find the peace that he'd always had when at the River Court.
Lucas considered asking his brother what he knew about Brooke's visit, but he was still too fragile on the inside. He wasn't sure how he felt about everything that had just happened, and deciding that it could wait, he gave himself up to the game and just enjoyed some bonding time with his little bro.
Shortly, Skillz and some of the guys from the team showed up; Lucas felt comfortable surrounded by his friends and old team mates. Tossing Skillz the ball, the guys started playing an impromptu pick up game, and Lucas thought things seemed right with the world finally. He was surprised that no one mentioned all the drama that had taken place at his mom's restaurant, or even asked where Amber was. But not wanting to risk spoiling the fun, he let it slide. If his friends didn't care, then neither did he. Well, at least for right now anyways.
The temperature started to drop, and when Nathan could see his own breath frost in the air, he called a halt to the game. Laughing, everyone gave in to the freezing fingers and numb feet, but were reluctant to let go of the relaxed atmosphere of the evening.
Nathan, sensing the mood, suggested meeting up again the next afternoon, and everyone readily agreed.
"Hey, man. Did you walk all the way here?" Nathan slapped his older brother on the back after everyone else parted.
"Yeah, I was pissed. I've kicked Amber to the curb. Why didn't you tell me how horrible she was?"
"Dude, short of bright, flashing neon lights, we all tried. You just weren't ready to hear it. Why don't you head back with me, my house is closer." Lucas nodded, and they started walking to the house around the corner.
"Was I really that bad off? I mean, I heard her talking tonight and just couldn't understand how I'd managed to miss that high pitched voice or the horrible laugh. How'd I not seen that??" Lucas was confused and a little upset. He'd always figured he was a fairly good judge of character. All the stress and upsetting events that had happened lately came rushing back. Except this time, he wasn't alone in coping with it all. His brother was there to help him through it. It felt good to have someone there for him.
"You sure you want me to answer that question?" Nate peered over at Luke, not entirely certain what to do with this new version of his brother. He was incredibly happy to see his brother talking and acting like a member of the human race again, but he was a little worried about what to say or do. He didn't want to say something wrong and chase him back into that black hole he'd called his life for so long.
"I suppose I deserved that. Look man, I'm really sorry about everything the last year. I just, it's been a dark time for me lately. I let myself go, and with nothing to pull me back under control, I didn't realize I'd fallen so far. I owe you and Hales and mom big time for all that you guys have done for me." Lucas' hands were shoved in his front jeans pockets, not so much because he was cold – which he was – but because he was feeling sheepish.
"No sweat dude! I'm just glad we are hanging out! We all knew you were having a hard time."
"Is that why Brooke's here?" There. He'd asked the question, time to find out some more answers. Answers were good, it helped him line things out.
"Well…" It was Nate's turn to dig his toes in the snow and feel sheepish. How do you tell your older brother that you'd maneuvered behind his back, but it was all for his own good?
"Hey man, don't worry, I'm not mad. I have no right to be."
"Yeah, well, we were worried about you dude! You had changed so much, we were seriously panicked that you'd go off and do something truly bad and we'd lose you to whatever black hole you'd managed to find. So Rachel and Haley talked, they both agreed you needed more than just the ones here in Tree Hill already, and well…yeah…Haley called Brooke." Nate was worried Lucas would be seriously pissed.
"So Brooke came because of me? And because Haley called her?" Lucas sounded…relieved. And happy.
"Brooke's sole reason for being here is you dude. Haley's call is what pushed her across that line, but yes, she's here because of you."
"What do you mean, pushed her across that line?"
"Well, from what I've been told, Brooke got three phone calls that night. One, from some girl that wouldn't leave her name, but that we're all pretty sure was Amber, Rachel, and then Haley."
"So, Amber was telling the truth? She did call Brooke?"
"We think so. She wouldn't give her name, and Brooke said the girl didn't really say anything. She heard a strange emptiness in the girl's voice, but was distracted when the anonymous girl said she was calling because of you. Then Rachel called, and then Brooke called Haley, and two days later she was in Tree Hill."
"I don't know what to say dude. I mean, everything is just so confusing right now. Things keep turning themselves upside down on me. The woman I thought I'd never see again is suddenly back in my life, the girl I've been living with for the past year is NOT the person I thought she was and now she's gone, my sister's gone, my mother's had to deal with this all on her own. It's…I don't know man. I don't know how to deal with it all." Lucas was obviously frustrated.
"We'll take it one thing at a time. What matters is that you want to deal with these things now. That's huge!"
"You're right. You wanna know something?" Lucas' eyes were crinkling in the corners like they always did when he was thinking hard about something. Suddenly he seemed not so weighed down by life, and Nate was relieved to hear his best friend's voice sound not so serious.
"Shoot."
"I'm really, really glad Brooke's here. And it makes me want to jump up and down that she's here for me. You know, I love her. I still love her, after all these years."
"Yeah, man, she's still in love with you too. She may not admit it, and there's something going on with her that neither Haley nor I can touch, but she does. We've all seen it."
"You think so? Maybe this year wont have to end on a bad note." Lucas was grinning again.
"We'll help ya dude, however we can. You two are made for each other, you need other, shit, the rest of us need you two to be together. Whatever it takes man!"
Sighing, Lucas slapped his brother on the back and they stopped talking about serious topics and moved to safer, less dramatic things. By the time they reached the house, Nathan was laughing so hard he was crying, and Lucas felt like he could skip and jump the rest of the way to the front door.
Thankfully for them both, he was too mature for such behavior, and their dignity was saved as they came barreling in the door.
AN: Wow…that was longer than I'd planned for. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I've got the next two chapters outlined, and I think everyone who's been clamoring for more Brucas will be mighty satisfied.
To maya2, whiters, jess4491, brucasisl0ve3, thecutenikki, iluvmedou, brucas333, othfan326, lilrdevil92, and toddntan, thank you all so much for all the amazing reviews. I am having a blast with this story and getting all y'all's compliments and encouragement has really helped keep my creative spark going.
I'll have the next chapter up soon, my fingers are already itching to write!!
Muah! Z