A/N- So this is it! The last chapter! Thank you to everybody who has ever read and reviewed this story, you've really made it so worthwhile (I know I always say that but it's true) I have nothing else to ramble on about so I'll leave yout to read. Enjoy! xxx

A Public Affair

Chapter 10: Green Light-A New Chapter

"Start writing a new chapter, for if you live by the book you'll never make history."-Ben Sobel

They should have known it wasn't right. That nothing coming from two broken relationships could produce a happy ending. Hollywood is like that. Real life isn't.

They didn't get married. She didn't want the paper and he didn't want to do that to Haley (he still loved her, that would never pass) because even the love he had for Brooke Davis wasn't worth throwing everything the two of them had ever had back in her face.

Ruby Gabriella Scott was the beautiful product of this public affair, and throughout all of it; the cheating, the lying, the desperate need for someone else to make him feel truly alive again, Lucas had never forgotten that.

It was September 2006 when it all began. When she realised that her marriage was going nowhere fast, and when he realised that he was in love with his brother's wife.

And it was September 2007 when it was all over. When the apartment was sold, she moved into a house in the suburbs, he moved into an apartment much like the one they'd shared together. Nobody expected her to give up a fledging movie career in order to be a full-time parent, but Brooke Davis was unpredictable.

They talked. Everyday. And not once had they argued, not once had they wished that this whole thing had never begun, because Ruby wouldn't have been there otherwise. Brooke was at a loss as to how she could have ever doubted her skills as a loving parent, because now, she couldn't imagine her life being worthwhile.

She'd known that not seeing his son was slowing killing Lucas, and as much as she loved him, and knew that he loved her, he had responsibilities to both children. She'd told him it wasn't working for her, to go be the father he needed to be to Sammy. Ruby and her would always be there. A chance to make things work with Haley wouldn't.

Lucas knew throughout it all, that she was acting. She was brilliant (every award showed that) but he could see through it now. And she convinced him anyway, through the hidden tears and desperate need to tell him that she needed him just as much (because she did, really) so he did as she wished. Though not once was he truly happy to be there. It was beginning to make him too tired, because he knew that he caused this, and he could never fully have what he wanted (it was selfish and unrealistic to believe that) but at the end of it all, he was Sammy's daddy (Ruby's too) and that's what mattered, now.

Haley had managed to let Lucas in, giving into the overwhelming desire to scream that he hurt her too much before, and that he could never be forgiven for that. But their son was their future now. Not together, not apart, but whatever relationship they had right now was working. But he could never shake that feeling of being in love with Brooke Davis (he still was, always was really,) because even though it hadn't worked between them, there was that spark there. Perhaps they were wrong, and everyone else had been right. Perhaps he'd never really loved her, never really been in love with her. But there was something there that Lucas had never had with anyone else. And he missed everything about that.

Sammy was the same age as Ruby (only hours older and complete with the piercing blue eyes Haley had always imagined him to have,) but had never met his sister. That was too hard for Haley and as much as she wanted them to be a part of each other's lives, her heart wasn't strong enough for that. Yet.

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"Mommy!" The little girl squealed as Brooke caught her at the bottom of the slide, the light breeze blowing almost every strand of dark hair over her eyes.

"Brooke." She turned to see him standing there, blonde hair as long as it was when they had first met, blue eyes sparkling as he watched his giggling daughter.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time. They had spoken every day (years later and nothing had changed that) but loyalty to his son and Haley had kept him from being the father he'd always wanted to be. They'd never made it so that Lucas was forced to choose, and if he had, there wouldn't have been any other option than to leave this life behind him. Choosing between the two beautiful children he loved equally would have been too hard, so it was easier this way.

"Daddy!" She shouted, flinging herself into Lucas who was ready to catch her, smoothing her hair against the side of her face as she beamed at him, telling him everything he needed to know without a word. Ruby was fine with Brooke, she was better than fine. She was happy and smiling and everything Lucas had needed her to be.

"She looks just like you. She always has."

"I always hoped she'd have her daddy's eyes."

"How are you?" Lucas asked softly, releasing the little girl to the ground as she ran around her parents (the two people she had never witnessed together, not really) with arms outstretched, making plane noises as she went.

"I'm good."

"I miss you." He blurted, feeling the release at the confession he'd kept from Haley and from Brooke and from everyone who'd ever meant anything to him.

"I miss you too."

"I'm sorry to do this." Lucas almost whispered. "Again. I just had to see her. I had to see you both."

"I know."

"You're a beautiful little girl you know that Ruby?" He smiled at the little girl- his little girl.

"Mommy always says that."

"And she's right." Lucas chocked. Everything was too hard now, and as much as he wanted to, he knew it could never work between all of them, not really. "You're lucky to have a Mommy that loves you so much."

Brooke felt tears prick in her eyes as she watched what should have been her reality. She had no questions for Lucas, she knew all she needed to.

"I'm going to be a basketball player like you."

"I bet you'd be the best." Lucas replied with shaky breath, finally realising he wasn't who he wanted to be. He could never be that person, he hadn't let himself and now he was paying for that.

And as they walked side by side, Brooke with Ruby back in her arms, Lucas holding the small pink jacket loosely, she couldn't help feel a pang of sadness. They'd ended whatever it was between them and she now would have done anything to get that back again. Telling Lucas wasn't fair, and even if imagining him next to her at night was all she got, she'd take that. Because they had Ruby. And she meant everything to Brooke.

It wasn't the life she desperately craved. But it was safe. They'd had the public affair, and they'd conquered the feelings of lust, of passion, of being so in love that they couldn't help but do what their heart was telling them to.

Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Brooke and Lucas went through too many: lust, secrecy, desire, betrayal, love. They'd arrived at guilt and haste accidentally, and it had spelled the end for this public affair.

But they were revisiting the most important of all now: love. And the green light was on again.

Please review, and don't forget to check out my new story 'Bubblegum Cherry Pie' which I'll be posting some time this week.

Many thanks guys xxx