A/N: Just a fare warning you guys...this chapter is fairly longer than my others. That being said, I hope you enjoy it and I will get to work on the next part as soon as I finish some school stuff I have got to do. I have a bunch of ideas going through my head for this story and I think it is about to get super interesting. If you have any ideas or suggestions, write them in a review or PM me! Now, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or it's characters...I own nothing but the plot of this story!!

Chapter 10: Remember your Closet

The fall morning air was cool and crisp and you could sense that winter was right around the corner as Lucas walked out of his building. He had thrown on his light Northface jacket, but he now wished he had put on something a little more substantial. He didn't know how long he would be able to sit out like this.

The further he walked, the less the air bothered him. It was almost healing, as if the air was cleansing him right there on the spot.

After walking nearly twenty blocks, he reached Central Park. Many New Yorkers found it cliché, but he wasn't a full-fledged New Yorker and it was actually one of his favorite places to go write. He could get inspiration for characters by watching the variety of people that passed him by.

He saw a woman who had to be ninety and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with matching Burberry coats on. He saw a kid with his hands in his jean pockets kicking at leaves disinterestedly as his mother drag him along and keep a hold on her groceries.

Lucas finally reached his chosen spot. It was down by an old bridge, kind of nestled in a wooded area. If he closed his eyes he could picture himself home in Tree Hill. In this vision he was nine and Nathan was eight. He would run into their woodsy backyard and hide in a tree to bombard his little brother with water balloons when he came looking for him.

That was where he went to escape, Tree Hill. He had always planned to return to Tree Hill after college, but somehow between Peyton and his brother and Haley moving to the city, he never had. Tree Hill had always had a calming effect over him, and this spot gave him that same feeling.

As he settled himself on to the cool ground at the base of a tall tree, he pulled out his notebook and began to write.

Brooke seated herself on the couch next to a sleeping Haley to enjoy her breakfast.

The smell of warm pastries had started to fill the apartment sicnce the delivery had arrived, making Brooke even hungrier so she decided she couldn't wait on Haley to wake up to eat.

As she snuggled deeper into the plush couch, she started at her fresh bear claw with hungry eyes. Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

Right before she bit down though she realized she hadn't gotten anything to drink. "This is going to be way too rich without a drink," she thought. So she went to the kitchen for a glass of milk.

When she came back she found her bear claw, now half eaten, in Haley's hand.

"Haley Jane James Scott!" Brooke shrieked placing her hands on her hips. "How could you eat my breakfast?" She asked, her voice feigning hurt.

"Brooke Penelope Davis Van Devender! How could you sit a delicious smelling confection in front of me and not offer me any?" Haley counter questioned, about to laugh.

"I thought you were asleep!" Brooke screeched as she sat down on the couch.

"Well now I'm awake. Thanks for the milk," Haley said, taking the glass from her hand and drinking from it.

"Hmph!" Brooke snorted. "I try to do something nice and this is what you do," she said, pouting.

"I'm sorry Brookie-Bear," Haley said, hugging her friend. "You want the rest?" She offered, holding up the other half of the pastry.

"Yes," Brooke said, snatching it from her hand, a smile spreading across her face like a young child who had just won an argument. "There's more in the box on the counter. And bring me some milk, please," Brooke suggested to her friend who had left the couch and was headed in that direction.

"I'm on it," Haley answered giving Brooke a wave over her shoulder as she began to search through the box of treats.

Lucas had been writing for what seemed like only minutes when his stomach suddenly growled very loudly. "Guess that's my cue to find a stopping point for a minute," he thought to himself as he looked around. He was still alone in his favorite area of the park.

He jotted down a few more things, mostly notes to prep his mind for the next chance he got to write. Then he closed his leather notebook and slipped his pen into his pocket. For some reason he was really craving pizza. At this thought he instantly remembered the little restaurant Brooke had introduced him to. He hoped it wouldn't be crowded at lunch.

Lucas made it to the restaurant and was lucky enough to secure a table. His waitress told him the rush didn't usually start for another half hour, and he was glad for that.

Luke liked this place. It was a small Mom-and-Pop establishment, and that reminded him a lot of his mom's café back home. It also reminded him of Brooke, and he liked that too.

He enjoyed thinking about Brooke. She was a beautiful girl and they had fun together. She made him laugh and most importantly, she accepted him for who he was. She had no expectations of what he was supposed to be, and that was nice. Also in the short time he had known her, she seemed to genuinely care about those in her life, and that was a rare thing to find in people these days.

And he cared for her too. Not in the way he cared for Haley, which was strictly platonic and almost sisterly. No, this was definitely different. It was intense and overwhelming, and he couldn't get enough of her.

Lucas could tell Brooke was special. She was such a force to be reckoned with. She was so strong inside of her delicate exterior. But she built her walls up so high, there was something in her life that made it hard for her to open up to people, but she had with Lucas. She had even told him, it was hard for her to trust new people. But she trusted him, and that was really saying something. He couldn't wait to find out more about her, and he wanted to know everything.

He had never felt like this before. Not with any girl, not even with Peyton. With most girls he became bored easily, choosing to read a few chapters into their story and then file them away on the shelf for a later date. He had almost read Peyton's entire book, but he had eventually grown bored, it was too contradictory. But with Brooke, he was ready to fly threw it, straight to the end. She was so complexly beautiful. It amazed him how a girl like her had been tamed so early in life. He knew she had so much to offer the world, and he couldn't wait to be there to see it.

All of a sudden, it was as if a lightbulb went off in his head, like an epiphany, "What am I doing with Peyton? How can I still be with her when my thoughts are consumed by someone else" He wondered. "I really need to talk to her about where our relationship is, and if I should continue down this path." Lucas wasn't totally sure he should, I mean, shouldn't constantly thinking about another girl be a sign that the one you're with probably isn't the one?

Lucas sat in silence as he ate his pepperoni slice. He thought of the night he met Brooke, and she stole the food right off his plate. That night couldn't have been any more perfect. Okay, it could have if they both were single, but besides that fact, it was almost unreal. He had never connected with someone like that, both emotionally and sexually. The desires for both were implanted in him that night. How often was it you found someone who not only turned you on, but also intrigued your mind? Lucas knew enough to know that was a rare thing.

His mind drifted back to Peyton. They didn't have an emotionally intimate relationship to begin with. It was all based on a common love of art and brooding. But now, there was practically nothing holding them together. They hadn't had sex in about a month. And it wasn't so much that one of them wasn't into it, it was neither one had tried to initiate it. They had grown into two totally separate entities coexisting under one roof.

And It wasn't that he didn't care for Peyton, because he did. She just made their relationship so hard. With her, you never knew what you were going to get, she was 'lovey-dovey' one minute and 'icy-cold' the next. He was in love with her once, and he still did love her. It was just a different type of love now, more like that of a family member.

"Thanks for staying over last night," Brooke said as she walked out of her bathroom into her bedroom. She ran a towel through her wet hair as she spoke to her friend.

Haley who was lying across Brooke's huge bed smile up at her, "It's no problem. I'm glad we got to do it. I haven't had a sleepover since well, since before I can remember."

Brooke plopped down on the bed beside her friend and threw her hair into a messy bun. "I can't remember the last time I had a sleepover either. I just wish I would have actually been awake to enjoy it. What magazine are you reading?" Brooke asked, touching the magazine spread out in front of Haley's face.

"Oh, InStyle. Isn't this dress beautiful?" She commented, running her fingers across the picture of it.

"Yeah," Brooke agreed. "But you could totally make that."

Haley erupted in laughter. "Me? Make that? Do you not remember my outfit I designed and then sewed together at the camp fashion show circa 2001? That was the last year I let you talk me into participating that."

Brooke started laughing at the mention of old memories, "The skirt with the lopsided poncho? Ugh, I try not to."

"You see. Now there is no way I could ever make something like this," she finished holding the picture up in her friend's face.

"Okay, okay," Brooke said, raising her hands in defeat. "Let me clarify my statement. Maybe you couldn't make it, but I could."

"Really, Brooke?" Haley asked. "I always knew you were interested in fashion, but you can make clothes?!"

"Don't sound so shocked!" Brooke exclaimed, throwing a hand over her heart. "I have to have something to occupy my time, especially before you got here."

Haley now at up on the bed and crossed her legs Indian style. "No, no," she corrected her friend. "It's not that I am surprised you can make it. I knew you were always the best at making clothes when we had those camp fashion shows, and you always won. I guess, I don't know. I guess I didn't think you would ever try to make anything other than camp fashions," she rationalized.

Brooke popped off the bed and tightened her robe around her waist. "Camp fashions? Honey, I have something you have got to see," she said as she grabbed Haley's hand and led her out of her bedroom.

"Where are we going?" Haley asked as Brooke drug her through the living room and to the hall on the apartment's other side.

"My closet," Brooke simply responded.

"Your closet?" Haley asked. "But I thought that was in your bed—"

Brooke opened the door before them and Haley's jaw dropped.

"Room," she quietly finished as she entered the room, taking in the sight before her.

The room was filled with clothes and everything you could ever think about needing to make them. Two walls, on the left and right sides of the room, were lined with clothing racks which were covered with clothes. The back wall had spools of fabric leaned up against it. It also had a big board with sketched tacked to it. Then on that same wall there was a desk covered with paper and a variety of colored pencils.

In the center of the room was a sleek, modern white couch with no back or sides. So okay, technically it was more of a stuffed bench. On the wall with the door there was a full length mirror. There was also a desk with a sewing machine.

"B-Brooke, what is this place?" Haley asked as she continued to spin, still taking in the room. It was incredible. She felt like she had been transported into some sort of alternate universe.

"I told you. It's my closet, filled with my clothes," She answered as she took at seat on the bench. She was relieved she actually found someone to share her clothing with.

"You made all these?" Haley asked in a state of shock as she fell onto the bench next to Brooke.

"Yep," she proudly stated. "These are my babies. They are all a little part of me. This is where I like to spend my time. Clothes never hurt you." She said the last sentence in almost a whisper.

"These are amazing," Haley praised her friend as she walked to the hanging clothes and browsed through them. "How could I not know about this?" She asked, practically kicking herself for not knowing about a huge chunk of her best friend's life.

"You didn't know because no one does. You're the first person I've ever told," Brooke said as she walked over to Haley who was now holding a deep purple trapeze dress up against her body. "That would look insanely beautiful on you. Take it," she offered.

"Brooke, I couldn't," Haley said, hanging the dress back on the rack. "And what do you mean no one knows about this?! There is no way you could keep something like this hidden."

"Really?" Brooke asked. "Do you hear yourself? Who is here to find this out, or who would even take the time to for that matter?"

"You mean Matthew doesn't know? Why would you not tell him?" Haley asked her friend. She knew is she had a talent like this Nathan would definitely be the first person she told.

"No, he doesn't know," she reluctantly answered. "And I don't know why I haven't told him. In the little time he is actually here I would like to say it just hasn't come up. But I guess I'm scared he won't care, or he'll think it's childish and try to keep me from doing it. I don't think he would approve of his wife doing anything other than charity work. And I mean, you have to admit, it's not exactly a practical dream. Do you know how many designers are struggling to make it out there?" She questioned her friend.

Haley looked at her friend. It was as if the confident woman she had become reacquainted with over the past month had instantly transformed into the self-doubting girl she knew from summer camp. She searched her friend's eyes and grabbed her hand; she wanted to give her as much reassurance in her words as she possibly could. "I know fashion is a competitive industry, and it may not be for everyone who tries it. But Brooke, you are incredibly talented from what I can see. You should go for it if it is truly your dream. You deserve to show the world your gift. How long have you been doing this?" She asked.

Brooke thought back and quietly answered, "Since college. When my father first made me go out with Matthew. I needed a way to take out my frustrations and Daddy would not let not dating Matthew be an option," she sighed. "But it turned out for the best. I eventually grew to love him and we got married, and you know the rest," she said as she walked away from Haley to sit on her bench. She hoped she hadn't said too much, she didn't want Haley to think she resented Matthew in any way, their relationship was just...complicated.

"I'm sorry, Brooke," Haley said, seeing how remembering all the expectations placed upon her had brought down her perky friend's spirits. "But back to the topic at hand, have you ever tried to sell your stuff?" she asked, as she reclaimed her seat next to her friend.

Brooke looked at Haley as if she had just told her to marry Michael Jackson and her eyes grew wide. "Haley, are you serious? No one would buy these. My designs are in no way good enough—"

"But they are," Haley said, cutting off her friend before she could bash herself anymore. "What happened to the spunky Brooke Davis I used to know?" She asked looking as her sad friend as she stared at her feet.

"To be honest Hales, I haven't been that girl in a long time. I grew up, I have an image to uphold for my family," she told her friend as she looked at her with teary eyes.

"Brooke, you listen to me," she told her friend. "You need to stop letting the men in your life put you down. You don't have to hide who you are just because they expect you to fit into their perfect little 'Stepford Wife' mold. You don't want to become your mother do you?" Haley asked, trying to lighten the dark mood.

"Hell no," Brooke snapped as she started to laugh. Haley started to laugh too.

After the laughter subsided, Brooke finished talking. "But in all seriousness Hales, even if I did want to sell my clothes, I wouldn't know where to start. They have all the business smarts and there is no way they would help me. If anything they would try to talk me out of it. Dad always told me that women have no place in business when I would tell him I was going to take over the company one day. That's why he was so adamant about me marrying someone like Matthew, someone he had hand-picked to run the family business."

"Brooke, do you hear yourself?" Haley questioned. "You are so incredibly smart and talented; you could do this by yourself. But you're not going to, because I am going to help you," she finished as she pulled her friend into a hug.

"You would do that?" Brooke asked, she was still amazed at how much Haley believed in her and her clothes. It was nice to have the feeling of someone believing in her strengths again. She hadn't experienced that since, well since she first met Haley at camp all those years ago.

They pulled apart and Haley said, "Of course I would. Forget your dad and Matthew. You can do this," she smiled, and she meant it. The more and more Brooke told her about Matthew, the more and more she was starting to dislike him. But she wasn't going to dwell on him now; she had her friend to worry about.

"No, we can do this," Brooke corrected her friend as her signature smile crept onto her face. "Clothes over Bros?" She asked as she offered her fist for Haley to pound.

Haley bumped it back and repeated, "Clothes over Bros," as both girls started to giggle once more.