Brooke and Nathan took their time getting the girls washed up and into bedBrooke and Nathan took their time getting the girls washed up and into bed. They knew that both of them wanted to spend extra time with their parents because it was their first time without at least one of them. Eventually the joy of their parents being home and Uncle Lucas appearing wore them down and by eight-thirty both of them were sleeping and Molly was snoring like a truck driver.

"I missed them," Brooke whispered as she and Nathan closed their door.

Nathan looked down at Brooke and wanted to tell her so much. He wanted to tell her that he had been a fool, that he had never stopped loving her but instead all he said was, "me, too."

For a moment she looked disappointed then a loud noise from the kitchen drew a grin from her, "I guess we'd better go save Haley. Or Lucas, whoever's in danger."

Nathan followed her down the steps and into the kitchen, "I'm willing to bet its Luke."

0000

Haley stood in the middle of the kitchen when Brooke and Nathan walked in. Lucas was cleaning up a pile of glass that had once been a cup. Haley looked sheepish, "I'm sorry."

Brooke smiled, "if you threw it then there are no apologies needed, it just means I taught you something after all."

"God, how many dishes did we go through our first few years living together," Nathan asked as he sat on one of the stools at the tall counter. He began to peel an orange, "so big brother, come to grovel?"

Lucas dumped the dust pan and finally sat across from Brooke at the kitchen table, "I came back to get you Hales."

"Luke," Haley sounded exasperated, "I don't know how many times I can explain this. It isn't just me any more. In a month or so I'm going to have our baby. And if you don't want it or you don't want the responsibility of raising our child then you have to let me go. Our baby deserves better."

Luke winced and Brooke felt his pain, that was one hell of a blow, "Haley, I know that I have to do better but I promise to try. I can't live without you. You just don't understand, these past few weeks have been hell. I can't sleep and I can't eat. Without you nothing matters. I can't live without you."

"But you can live without sex because the idea that I'm pregnant with your child is so disgusting to you," she questioned.

"It's not that," Luke told her.

"Then what is it? We had sex the day before I told you I was pregnant. That night you couldn't even face me in bed," Haley reminded him.

"But I always loved you," he declared passionately.

Haley slammed her hand on the counter in front of Nathan making him jump, "how can you love me and not want our baby? I don't get it! You're fantastic with the girls, you love them, you always have. Is it because it's a boy?"

"Haley," Luke pulled his hand over his buzz cut.

"No," her eyes filled with tears, "how can you love every other child but not your own? Do you know how it felt when you denied me? I've never felt so unwanted, so undesirable."

"I never meant for you to feel like that," Luke swore.

"But I did. It hurt, Luke, it hurt like hell. Here's the deal, Luke, I will never love another man the way I love you. You're my soul mate. But you hurt me more than you could imagine because you don't love this child we've made together. There is one thing that matters now, and it's not either of our feelings, it's this baby. He deserves to have my love. He never deserves to know that you didn't want him even before he was born."

"I love you," Luke told her.

She continued as if he hadn't spoken, "I want you to leave here. I never want a cent from you and I never want to see you again. I won't be able to go on if I have to see you every other day. I'm going to make a life for me and our," she took a breath and corrected herself, "my son."

Haley began to walk out of the kitchen. Nathan scowled at his brother, "you're a God damned fool. Don't make my mistakes!"

Luke rose, "I'm scared, Haley."

Brooke sucked in a breath, the tears she'd been holding in burned brightly in her eyes, as Haley turned around. She didn't look convinced, "of what?"

"Nathan and Brooke were lucky, they had two kids that were normal. We're all positive carriers for Dan's heart condition. Dan had to get that heart transplant last year. It scares me shitless to realize that I could give that to our baby. I would rather cut off my fucking feet then to let you walk away. I told myself that maybe if we didn't make love there would be a smaller chance of harming the baby. I couldn't hug you and kiss you without wanting you. Damn it, Hales, you're the only woman I see! Seeing you get bigger carrying our baby turns me on every time I get a glimpse of you!"
Brooke snickered but coughed it back when Nathan gave her a frown. Lucas took a step toward Haley, "if something is wrong with our baby and it's because of me, because of Dan, I will never be able to forgive myself."

Haley exhaled, "you are the stupidest man I have ever laid eyes on," and wrapped her arms around Luke's neck.

Lucas held her to him and breathed her in. Around that time Brooke and Nathan snuck out. Nathan stopped by the phone and snatched a few tissues for Brooke, who was sniffling noisily.

"Come on, Davis, let's go to bed."

0000

After the two days of explanations from Peyton and Dan, both Nathan and Brooke fell asleep instantly in their familiar bed. Early the next morning the girls crawled into bed with them and then Brooke was called into work for an emergency meeting. Nathan drove Haley and Luke to the airport. At the gate Nathan looked over his soon to be sister-in-law, "your doctor said it was okay to travel?"

"Yes," Haley hugged him, "thank you for everything, Nate. Kiss Brooke for me."

"I wish I could get around her long enough alone to kiss her for anybody," Nathan replied.

"She's still soaking it in," Haley told him. She held both girls to her as Lucas hugged his brother.

"Thanks for watching out for her," Luke told Nate.

"It was my pleasure. Make an honest woman of her one of these days," Nate recommended.

"I plan on legally binding her to me as soon as she'll let me," Luke replied.

Nate nodded, "call us as soon as the baby's born, we'll come down with the girls."

Luke searched his brother's eyes before replying, "you're both still in love. Face your fears, both of you, it's worth it."

Nathan held his girls in his arms as they watched the plane take off and thought of Luke's words.

0000

Brooke walked into the bedroom she had been sharing with Nathan and gulped. She had been unsure of where they stood as a couple. God knew she wanted him, but did that mean they were trying again? Was she ready to do that again. She certainly loved him enough to try.

Nathan smiled as she entered the bedroom. He blew out the match after lighting the last candle. He had lit a series of candles throughout the room and had sprinkled a ton of red rose petals over their bed.

"What's this," Brooke asked as she gently placed her briefcase on the floor.

Nathan handed her a glass of champagne, "it doesn't look familiar?"

Brooke looked into Nathan's eyes and smiled mischievously, "were you trying to recreate the first night of our honeymoon?"

"Only thing that's changed is we're in Chicago and you can actually drink the champagne," Nathan replied.

She giggled, "taking sips and spitting them back out so no one would see I wasn't drinking and guess I was pregnant."

"Peyton was sure you were drunk," Nathan stopped and smacked his head, "that was stupid!"
"No," Brooke took his hand, "I can think of her without seething anger now. She's sad now."

Nathan squeezed her hand, "I want to try again Brooke."

She looked into his blue eyes and felt her heart do a familiar thump. There would never be another man who could make her feel the way Nathan Scott did simply by looking at her. She pulled his head down and met his lips in a kiss. He tasted like champagne and Nathan. He tasted like the man of her dreams.

"Make love with me," she whispered across his lips.

Nathan slid her jacket down her back and took two sides of her silk blouse before ripping down the middle to expose the pink lace of her bra. Her skirt followed in short order and then was Nathan was on his knees in front of her, loving her gently with his tongue. She tossed her head back, she felt her bobby pins fall out but didn't care.

"Nathan," she begged him.

He made her beg, took her to the edge over and over until she couldn't stand it and she was flying over, a shivering mess. Before her climax had even run its course Nathan was ripping off his shorts and positioning himself above her.

"Tell me you love me."

Brooke looked up in his blue eyes, tears shimmering just below the surface, "I love you, Nathan Scott, more than I have ever loved anyone else."

"Oh God," Nathan sunk all of his length into her warmth in one long, satisfying stroke. Brooke cried out beneath him, her hips rising to meet him halfway. She was tight and hot and everything he remembered her being. She was magnificent.

"Nathan," she called out his name, willing him to follow her over the cliff.

"Oh God, Brooke," he buried his head in her neck and his fingers dug into her hips as they met one last time and the world exploded. There was only light and pleasure and their love, shining bright and all consuming, "I love you, baby. I love you, Brooke."

Her arms tightened around his neck as her body gripped his cock harder and harder, milking him completely. She cried, not because of her climax but because suddenly it felt as if it was spring. She had put her heart into a deep winter to try and stop the pain and suddenly it was thawing in the presence of their love. It had always been inside of her. It had been in her heart and in his and in their daughter's faces.