All for Her
Multi-Chapter Story
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING; though I would love to own One Tree Hill. Definitely a cool thought. I'd totally get rid of Leyton forever
Story by: B. Davis FTW

Was this what it felt like to be an amputee? Most likely not. But Lucas felt as if a part of him was missing. Technically, that was the case. The doctor had called and confirmed the (now) fact that Laura was indeed his child about an hour after Lucas had discovered Laura was gone and Brooke called the police.

That's where they were now, talking to a police officer about his missing daughter. Lucas didn't talk much. Mostly, he was worrying about the little girl with straight dirty blond hair and the slightest lisp. He thought about how her tongue moved in between her top and bottom teeth when she made the s' sound, causing her adorable speech impediment.

"Mr. Scott, do you have a picture of Laura anywhere that we can work off of and get a detailed report out?"

God, did he wish he had a picture of her. All he had was the picture of her in his mind, smiling so wide that her eyes squinted. He shook his head, ashamed and feeling like a negligent father. "All her pictures were with her mother. Is there someone I can describe her to, to get at least a drawing out there?" He was desperate. Brooke was in the living room, speaking to a female officer about what was happening when they discovered Laura was gone.

He felt static. Not physically, but mentally. He could think of nothing else but Laura and how dangerous the city can be. There were creeps roaming the streets day and night, just looking for adorable girls like his. They would steal her innocence in a way that she would never be able to fully recover from. Being the literature nerd he was, he wished he could be like Holden Caulfield and protect the girl's innocence. Though, (being the nerd he was) he knew he couldn't. Not even the great Holden could protect children from experiencing and growing. He couldn't capture her innocence and hold it steady within her. It was an unfortunate truth that didn't exactly ease Lucas's nerves.

"Please, you have to find her" He begged the officer in front of him. "This city…it's not perfect. She's just a little girl. She doesn't even know the city. She holds Brooke's or my hand when she walks on the sidewalks. She refuses to take a step unless someone is holding her hand." He put his head in his hands as his elbows rested on the mahogany table. "She's probably so scared. Please officer; you have to find her."

"We will, son. Don't worry. She's probably fine." The officer tried to console Lucas, but he had seen too many of these cases and knew that he wasn't going to calm down. He also knew that telling him to get some rest wouldn't go over very well. "I know you're not going to be sleeping much tonight. You probably want to go look for her right now. Let us handle the city. You look wherever you have taken her before where she might know how to get there. Most kids are found in places that are familiar to them."

"Chief," The female officer exited the living room and called out to her superior at the table with Lucas. "we're ready to go. We've gotten all the information we need."

The chief nodded and looked back toward the broken man sitting in front of him, who had lifted his head when he heard the other officer enter. "We'll find her, Lucas. Don't kill yourself with thoughts of what could happen to her. Keep calm and think positive. We'll be in touch." The burly man in dark blue stood from the table and toward the front door, where Brooke had walked the three officers out and shut the door.

She was so stupid. Laura probably heard the argument between her and Lucas and caught her insinuating that she didn't care about the little girl. She felt like the biggest bitch in the world. How could she say things like that? And now her punishment was to watch the love of her life break apart with worry. It's true what they say; karma is a bitch.

"Baby," her rasp was evident from the tears she had held back causing soreness in her throat. "we should call everyone and get them looking with us." She sat beside Lucas, putting her hand on his back as he held his head in his hands.

"Yeah…that's a good idea. You should," he looked up at her, his eyes red and hair sticking up in all directions from the hands harshly running through it. "you should call them. I'll go out and start looking. If she comes back here, one of us should be here to open the door or.." he couldn't even finish his sentence. He couldn't talk. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. He could tell Brooke didn't want to stay behind and wait because that just wasn't the kind of person she was, but she didn't want to argue, so she silently nodded and stayed stagnant when he stood and grabbed a coat and his keys.

He left the apartment and stood in the elevator, feeling a searing pain in his head. He squinted his eyes and put his forehead between his forefinger and thumb. Was this real life? Seriously? He was pulled out of his silent thought process when he heard the ding of the elevator as the doors separated to show the lobby. He saw police officers speaking to the security guards on duty as well as the doorman, Andres.

Lucas felt suffocated as he left the building. He didn't know where to even start. He couldn't even for the life of him remember where he and Brooke had even taken Laura in the short time she was with them. He walked aimlessly down an endless number of blocks, turning left or right whenever he felt like it because he couldn't think. His eyes wandered quickly around as he placed one foot in front of the other, hoping to himself that a small head of blonde hair would catch his eye.

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Somehow he found himself in the dead center of Central Park. He felt a vibration in his pocket that continued as he pulled the small object out of his jeans pocket. It was Brooke. Pressing a button on the side to silence the phone, Lucas slipped it back into his pocket, taking a seat on a random bench.

"Daddy?" A small, weak voice called out in the silent air and Lucas turned his head. It was coming from the bush behind him.

It couldn't be. He stood quickly from the bench he was previously sitting on and ran to the bush, his hands moving stiff, sharp leaves out of his way not caring about any scratches or cuts he could be inflicting upon himself. He searched through that bush for a full five minutes, not finding anyone. It was just his mind playing tricks on him. He took his place back down on the bench and placed his head in his hands.

He felt like pulling his hair out of his head with worry. His daughter was out in New York City in the middle of the night and it was all his fault. If he had just sympathized with Brooke or chosen his words differently, he wouldn't be in this position and Laura would still be in the safety of their home.

He wondered around the city more, trying to follow paths that he or Brooke normally took to see if Laura had maybe followed those routes. He found himself back at the basketball court he had visited weeks before after his huge fight with Brooke. He took a look at his wrist, taking note of the time. 3:00 AM. He was exhausted, but he couldn't go home. Not until Laura was found. He wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, knkowing his little girl was out there scared and feeling alone and unloved.

He took a seat on the picnic table next to the court and stared at the hoop. He surveyed the area of the court, when he saw a head of blond hair rushing past the wrought-iron fence. "Laura?" He called out, perking up and jumping off the table, sprinting as fast as he could out of the court and around to where he saw the child. "Laura? Is that you?" He called out for her again, hoping against every hope there was in the world that that was her.

"Daddy?" His heart stopped when he heard the small voice. But when he reached the source, he saw a blond girl, but not his. A father was reuniting with his daughter. He had no idea why they were out so late, but his heart dropped at the sight. That was all he wanted. To be reunited with his daughter.

Brooke wasn't doing much better. She hadn't moved from her spot at the kitchen table, sitting next to the phone staring at it. It was like she was willing it to ring, wishing that it would be the police or Lucas, assuring her that they had found Laura and she had no more reason to feel guilty. She had forced Lucas to say those things, her insecurities about her relationship with Lucas had shown through once again. She made this situation about her and acted selfishly. All she had to do was support Lucas and Laura and forget about the rest, but her brain had gotten her into trouble once again. She couldn't let it go and just continue along as they had been. She had to fight with Lucas and cause him to say those things.

She didn't want to stay in the apartment. She wanted to be out there looking for Laura. If she really thought about it, the fact that she was so worried about Laura assured the fact that she had the ability to act as a mother figure for Laura. She didn't have to be in an awkward limbo position where she didn't know how to act around the little girl. Her eyes darted to the phone as the shrill ring rang through the apartment. She pounced on the phone, picking it up and answering it breathlessly. "Hello?"

"Uh, Mrs. Scott? We have a girl down here saying that she lives with you and Mr. Scott and we would like you to come down and confirm that she does, indeed, live with you." Brooke's heart caught in her throat as she nodded quickly, before realizing the security guard wouldn't be able to hear her nod. She told him she'd be down in a second as she quickly hung up the phone and grabbed her shoes and keys, running down to the lobby as fast as she could. Thoughts ran through her head at the speed of light. It had to be her. She knew where they lived and she had found her way back. It had to be Laura; who else would claim they lived with Lucas and Brooke?

As she made it downstairs, she searched around the room quickly while trying to catch her breath. She stopped breathing for a moment when she heard a small voice call her name.

"Brooke!" The older brunette's head turned toward the little girl's voice and her face immediately brightened. She knelt for the small girl running toward her and caught her in her arms, standing up straight and hugging her close.

"Oh, honey." Brooke's eyes were shut tightly as she held onto Laura tightly, not wanting to let her go. Laura's head rested on Brooke's shoulder as she held on. "We've been worried sick about you; where have you been?" Brooke removed her hand from the back of Laura's head so the little girl could lift her head off of the older brunette's shoulder. Brooke took note of Laura's tear-stained cheeks and disheveled hair. She had been missing for well over five hours and Brooke couldn't even begin to imagine where Laura had gone. "We don't have to talk now, okay. Let's go upstairs and call Lucas and we can all talk together"

Brooke thanked the security guards profusely as she pulled out her cellphone and called line stopped ringing, but she didn't hear her husband's voice on the other end. "Luke, you there? Baby, she's back. I have her in my arms right now. Come home, Luke." She smiled softly to herself, "She's home babe."

She heard the click of the line being hung up and knew Luke was on his way back. Considering she knew him as well as she did he knew he was sprinting home as she walked back up to their apartment, her hand resting on the back of Laura's head holding her close to her body. She wasn't leaving again.

Twenty minutes later, an out of breath Lucas made his way back into his and Brooke's apartment. He ran into the living room where, to his relief, he saw his wife sleeping on the couch with his daughter in her arms in the same state as Brooke. He collapsed on the couch himself, feeling like crying. The past seven hours have been both physically and emotionally exhausting and even though he should be happy that Laura was back home and safe, he just wouldn't let himself. He felt too guilty at what he allowed her to hear him say and he couldn't live with that fact.

He wanted to take her into his arms and apologize profusely and promise that words like those would never leave his lips or even enter his thoughts again. Even though they weren't meant maliciously, they were still said and that's how she took them. He wanted to hug his little girl and never let her go. Because that's what she was. His little girl. He had known it for a couple days and didn't exactly need the confirmation he was given recently. But he couldn't do any of that right now, because she was sleeping right now and he couldn't bear to wake her up. So he leaned his head back and closed his eyes and he allowed sleep to take over his body for a couple hours. He would wake up and begin a long journey of apologizing and connecting with his daughter.

The next morning, Lucas woke up first. He got up quietly and walked into the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee for himself as well as one for Brooke. He poured a bowl of Coco Puffs and put it on the island bar in front of a stool, leaving the carton of milk next to it to be poured in later. He toasted a couple bagels and plated them along with some cream cheese and butter for himself and Brooke before making his way back into the living room to wake up the two slumbering girls. "Hey ladies, breakfast is waiting" He whispered to them, placing a kiss on Brooke's forehead to wake her up as Laura's green eyes started to open.

"Hey kid, I poured you some Coco Puffs. Think you can handle pouring some milk in?" When she nodded, he gave her a wink and helped her down off Brooke's lap. Brooke took a bit longer to wake up, but when she did, she saw Lucas's ice blue eyes staring back at her. They had to talk, that was for sure but they would first speak as a family before Lucas and Brooke would have their own conversation. They both knew that without speaking.

Brooke followed Lucas back to the kitchen as she watched Laura struggle with the large carton of milk in her small hands. Lucas quickly took over, placing his larger hands on top of Laura's to help her pour the white liquid into her chocolaty cereal. It makes her want to smile at the sight. It was a picturesque moment between father and daughter. A normal moment in the midst of a chaotic period. But the moment quickly passed as the milk was done being poured and Lucas quietly passed it her way so she could adjust her coffee the way she liked.

The three sat at the breakfast bar in silence for a while, Laura sat in between Lucas and Brooke quietly eating her cereal as the two adults sipped their coffee and chewed their bagels. As soon as they were finished though, it was time to talk. Brooke took the plates and bowls and mugs to the sink where she discarded them, leaving them to be washed at a later time.

She leaned against the other side of the bar and faced the two blondes as Lucas initiated the conversation. "You know, we were worried sick about you last night kid. You can't just leave like that."

The little girl looked up at him with wide green eyes before she spoke. "You said you didn't want me. You said you wanted me to leave." Her head hung low. Her mannerisms matched the disappointment in her voice.

"I didn't mean it Laura," He knew it wasn't enough. "You weren't supposed to hear that, kid. Brooke and I were talking and sometimes when adults talk they say things they don't mean." From her position on the stool he knew she didn't believe him. "Hey," he lifted her chin with his finger in order to look at him "you're my daughter. It's my job to protect you. There's no way I wouldn't want you here. I was trying to explain that to Brooke and I said something I didn't mean. You had me running around New York City for hours looking for you. Would I have done that if I didn't want you?" Laura slowly shook her head. "Where did you go, kid? You were gone for hours, you don't know your way around the city, do you know what could've happened to you? There are some scary people around here and Brooke and I were worried sick wondering what happened to you."

"Awound hewe. I came back when it got dawk but I got lost. And when I got back, they didn't believe I lived with you guys."

"Laura," Brooke started this time, "you can't ever do this again, do you understand?" Hazel eyes stared into smaller green ones. "You can't leave without either me or Lucas unless you're with someone we know. You're lucky you found your way back because like Lucas said, this city can get dangerous if you don't know where you're going."

Laura hung her head again, "I'm sawy. I won't do it again."

The two adults nodded and Lucas told her to go back to her room and told her to play for a little while. He and brooke moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Brooke, we need to talk." She nodded in agreement, knowing this was coming. "I don't want her ever hearing something like that again."

"I know babe." Bless his heart. Lucas felt horrible that his sarcastic words fell upon his innocent daughter's ears. "I shouldn't have pushed you to that point. I care about her just as much as you do. You were right, I was afraid to have that confrontation with my mother but I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not afraid to act like a mother to that little girl because she's a part of you and with you by my side, I know I can do anything." Lucas placed his hand on Brooke's thigh comfortingly. "She's not my daughter, I know. I would never want to replace her mother. I acted selfishly, made this about me. I was too preoccupied with trying to figure out my own role here that I didn't even think about you or her. I'm so sorry Lucas. I pushed you to say those things and then she left and I knew I couldn't live with myself if we didn't find her." Her voice began to crack as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Lucas pulled her into his arms and began to shush her.

"Brooke, baby it's fine. She's back and she's okay and everything's fine. There's nothing to feel bad about anymore." That last sentence was directed at both of them. There was nothing to feel bad about anymore. Lucas had explained himself to Laura and tried to make her understand that she was very much wanted in this household. There wasn't anymore he could do besides stand by his word and make her see that she was very much wanted, and that's exactly what he intended to do.

A/N: So, it's been a while. Hasn't it? About two years, I know. A shit ton has changed around here since then. There's a mobile site and you can leave a review without leaving the page and no more popups. Shit, I'm really loving these changes, personally. Hope you're all doing well. I'm doing decently. Thought about these stories for a while but never got around to getting back into them. But, alas, here I am. I dislocated my knee for the second time and am couch-ridden currently so here is a new chapter of All For Her for all of you. Hope you like it, even though its a lot shorter than you guys are used to, but I hope you'll still review especially since its no longer needed to type your review into a popup window anymore. thanks in advance!