Thanks again for the reviews. In answer to the question of whether this will be Brucas eventually that is the plan - but given that I do also like Brulian and for it to be realistic the Brucas MUST be a slow burn.

Thanks for reading.

Nathan

Nathan rubbed his eyes as he stepped into his kitchen, he was exhausted and he did consider that said exhaustion was playing tricks with his mind. He would swear that Brooke was making breakfast. Her girls already dressed for school with pencils and colouring books covering the breakfast bar occupying them while she cooked. The faint thudding of a basketball outside alerted him to where his son was.

"Morning Nate." Now he was hearing things too, but as Brooke came over to take Tyler from him he realised he was indeed witnessing a complete transformation in her. When Tyler cuddled close to him as Brooke held her arms out to him he saw the anguish on her features that she quickly cleared away as she turned back to breakfast. "I hope you're hungry."

"Brooke..." She paused and turned to him, her stopping for that second allowed him to see that her ever present grief was still evident in her eyes. Though it offered little by way of explanation for her sudden change in behaviour. She bustled away again and turned her back to him while she was at the stove.

"So...Haley left yesterday." It wasn't exactly a statement nor was it really a question and he sighed. Tyler wriggled in his arms wanting to be set free. Nathan settled him on the floor with the makeshift drum – a pan and wooden spoon.

"She didn't exactly leave." He wondered briefly whether Brooke was prising information from him to get him to open up or whether she was actually in the dark. He suspected the latter given her non-responsive state of the past few months. "I told her to go." If Brooke was surprised then he saw no sign of it so continued. "She cheated on me and she's pregnant." The sound of the pan clattering from it's slightly aloft position in Brooke's hand back to the stove made him jump a little. She recovered quickly and soon had plates of food for the four children, calling Jamie in from outside. While they were eating she led Nathan to the next room.

"Haley wouldn't do that, you must have it wrong." Nathan shook his head sadly. If he was completely honest he would have insisted the same thing, despite his bitter words the previous day with regards to Chris Keller even he would say that Haley was the last person anyone would suspect of cheating. But she had. The simple truth. "Pregnant? Couldn't she..."

"No she's too far along for that now. She made her choice, and to be honest Brooke I don't think I'd be able to forgive her even if there was no baby. This isn't my Haley." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What's with the 180 Brooke?" He desperately needed to think about something else and Brooke's welfare rated high on his list of importance.

"Yesterday I decided I needed to start being a mom again, I know I freaked when you said about the bike thing but I ran into Lucas in the cafe, and god it felt just like it did when we were young. I'm not saying this in a bad way because I appreciate everything you've done but standing there and thinking back to when Karen's place was home for me I just thought I need to start making a life for us again because otherwise I'll be the mom I never wanted to be and my kids will need to find someone else to make them a home and I don't want that. They lost him too and I can't keep hiding away because it won't make it better. Besides I...well when Haley left yesterday I just thought that...I just thought it was time for both our sakes."

"That doesn't mean you're leaving does it?" Nathan honestly didn't think he could stand it if they went, with only he and Jamie in the big house he feared the silence would consume them.

"Well not yet if that's okay?"

"I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet Davis." Nathan embraced her and she rested a weary head against his shoulder.

"Brooke, can I talk to my dad alone please?" Nathan pulled away from Brooke and she slipped past Jamie back into the kitchen. He dreaded now having to explain to his son why Haley had gone.

"Jamie look let's sit down and I'll explain what's going on." Jamie shook his head at him.

"Don't...I know what she's done and why she's not here. I won't even begin to say I think what she did was right and all I want to say is I won't take sides dad. I saw what she was like when you guys were fighting all the time and it doesn't excuse her but you're not blameless. Happy people don't cheat. That being said whatever problems there are cheating is never the answer. I won't condemn her for what's she done, and that baby will be my brother or sister. I know it's all very new but I still love her, I'll love the baby and you need to deal with that. I can respect the fact you can't love her anymore, or even if you do that you can't be with her and you can't accept the baby. So you need to respect my decision." Nathan exhaled deeply, in shock at the maturity his seventeen year old was showing.

"Does that mean you'd rather I left?"

"No dad, she's with Uncle Lucas and she's safe. This is as much your home as hers and she's done wrong. I'm happy to stay with you, I'm just saying when she's on her feet I'll stay with her half the time too because you're both my parents and the only thing I'll ask of either of you is that by the time I graduate you need to be able to be around each other so you're both there and you need to not put me in the middle."

"When did you get so wise?" Nathan wondered what exactly he'd achieved in his life, he'd been off playing a game while Haley had raised a wonderful son. If he'd given up basketball would he still have Haley, would he have been a better father? He didn't have the answers and was smart enough to know asking the questions would probably make things worse. "Can your old man get a hug before you go to school?" Jamie grinned at him and the pair embraced tightly before Jamie slapped him on the back and yelled out a goodbye to Brooke and the children.

"Hey, I thought I'd take the girls to school and leave you and Tyler to...clean up." He'd almost said bond again but thought better of it as he stood in the entrance to his kitchen. She looked up and he saw the nervousness in her eyes.

"Okay." Her voice sound so small and he went over to hug her before going in search of his shoes.


Brooke

Brooke didn't know whether the pain in her heart caused by Tyler crying as Nathan left the house without him was a good thing given it meant she still felt normal emotions rather than the hideous grief of the past months, it broke her heart to realise it was her own actions that caused her baby to reject her like he did. He's baby cries for Nath Nath as she held his squirming body to stop him opening the door and rushing out after him. She tried to remember exactly what it was she had done with her son all day before. She twisted him round in her grip so he was facing her, she held him at arm's length both to stop his kicks landing on her and to allow for her to throw him into the air and catch him again. His cries abated and became hesitant laughter. She'd forgotten just how happy that sound could make her.

"Juice, juice." Another twist of the knife in her heart as she realised that someone else had been teaching him words. Juice had been the word she had been so desperately focused on him learning and now almost overnight to her ears he could say it. He toddled off into the kitchen and turned to look at her expectantly. She took his sippy cup off the counter and handed it to him. The simple act earned her a toothy grin and she melted. Somehow, though she didn't know how, in the midst of the throes of grief she had forgotten exactly how much she loved this little person.

"Hey Tyler you going to help mommy clean?" Tyler had always liked cleaning, sadly not as much as he enjoyed destroying things but still. Brooke had often given him a cloth or duster and he'd followed her through the house 'helping' and copying her. She held a damp cloth out to him which he accepted but looked at unsure. She began to wipe surfaces down and he watched her. She knelt beside him and began to clean the cupboard doors. "Tyler clean the cupboard for mommy." Shyly he stepped in beside her and lent forward to rub the cloth across the cupboard doors. She smiled, if she forgot that this was Nathan's kitchen and not hers it felt like everything was as it should be. Her cleaning up with Tyler after breakfast while her girls were ferried to school by their father – except their father was dead and it was Nathan who was caring for them. She felt tears well in her eyes once more but shook them away determined to get through an hour with her son without letting her grief control her. While Tyler cleaned the cupboard doors and swept the already clean floor she tidied away the breakfast things. Tyler dropped the sweeping brush when he heard the door open.

"Nath, Nath, Nath, Nath." His high pitched baby voice full of joy as he did his funny baby run to the door where Nathan swept him up into his arms. Brooke couldn't stop the thought that it should be Julian.

"It's still warm out for the time of year, I was thinking of taking Tyler in the pool – unless you had any plans." Brooke shook her head and it dawned on her just how in control Nathan was. She guessed that he was being Nathan Scott and ignoring whatever pain was in his heart right now. Which she could understand. While she had hidden away Nathan seemed intent on burying his feelings by continuing on as though nothing had happened. He whisked Tyler away and she followed them up the stairs to hunt for a bathing suit. She was mildly surprised to find out, she could neither remember packing or unpacking it. But then she reminded herself she'd done neither. Haley had handled everything. The mirror told her then exactly what had been happening to her these past few months, even her bathing suit hung from her. The body Julian had worshipped for its curves looking distinctly flat and older than her 35 years. But vanity was of little cause for concern now.

"Ball, ball." Nathan and Tyler were already in the water when she stepped outside. She noticed Nathan's shocked look when he saw her, heat flooded her cheeks, embarrassed as she recognised the slight repulsion at how bony she now was.

"I think I need to start force feeding you Davis." She gave a small smile to him and knew he'd say nothing more on the matter, for which she was relieved. She eased herself into the pool and squealed as Nathan splashed her. She batted water back at him, Tyler dissolved into giggles as he was caught in the crossfire. She couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face at her delighted son. As soon as it was there it was gone again – not before it was noticed.

"Stop feeling guilty for enjoying your son Brooke. Julian wouldn't wish you to stop living, to stop enjoying what you created together."

"It feels wrong to smile when he's gone."

"You can't cry forever, that's no way to raise his kids." And in a way only Nathan could he left her with profound words then pounding the beach ball into her face. She shook her head at him and rolled her eyes.

"You're an ass you know that." Nathan definitely brought out the best in her, in many ways he brought out the child in her, they resorted to behaviour they had engaged in when they were younger around one another. Today of all days though it wasn't necessarily about Nathan bringing out the best in her – or the most childish – or vice versa. It was about forgetting, resolving to enjoy a day and forget the pain that awaited when they lay alone in their beds. Neither was naive enough to believe it would not come.


Peyton

Peyton allowed her keys to drop onto her desk and let out a long sigh. When she'd spoken to Lucas the previous week she had been resolved to work harder at a civil relationship with him, convinced it would lead to a better relationship with Sawyer. She'd truly believed she could do it now she'd set her mind to it. She hadn't counted on all the other stresses of life – like the breakdown of her two friends' marriage, or the fact that Sawyer was hell bent on causing as much trouble for her as she possibly could. She let her bag thud heavily onto the ground. Haley had stopped by the day after Nathan had asked her to leave. She'd been a mess. Peyton had felt completely helpless. She'd wanted to call Nathan after Haley had left, she wanted to ask him how he was doing but held back. She didn't want to call the house and have Brooke answer. So she'd waited until she was at work the following day and e-mailed him. It had been three days before he replied to her and she was left on the verge of actually calling every day she waited for the icon telling her Nathan Scott had e-mailed her. It had been a brief note, the summary of it being that while he was devastated having Brooke and her children around was a great distraction for him and Jamie was being a rock. There hadn't been enough said for Peyton to get a true understanding of how he was coping and she wondered whether it was because he knew she'd known for a while now, or simply because he felt she was more likely to be supporting Haley than him. She idly wondered if it was possible to remain sideless in a split between two friends. If it wasn't she had to wonder how Lucas would manage, torn between his best friend and his brother.

Peyton felt the same sense of sadness that Lucas and Brooke felt – for all of them Nathan and Haley were the ideal. Their relationship was the one that would last, the one that weathered every storm. The fact that divorce hadn't been mentioned to Peyton's knowledge however left her hopeful there may be a reconciliation somewhere down the line. She'd known divorce was the answer almost immediately, the fact Nathan hadn't said the same allowed a glimmer of hope for her, though it was too early to share this with a distraught Haley. Haley had been fairly inconsolable every time Peyton had seen her or spoke to her, which she was making an effort to do daily.

"Hey." There was a slight tap to the doorframe from the recording studio and she looked up to find Josh. "I just...well some of the others are questioning what's happening. It's just someone noticed Haley not been showing up for her booked studio slots and the others wanted to know if they could have them...there's some rumours going round that she left her husband for his brother." Peyton pushed her unruly hair back from her face and tried not to let her anger show.

"Haley is staying with Lucas right now because Nathan asked her to leave. There's nothing but friendship between them."

"Oh right, so the studio time?"

"You don't want to know why Nathan asked her to leave – why she did it." Josh began to look even more uncomfortable than when he first stepped near to her desk. "I don't think I really need to tell you do I?" Peyton had no intention of informing him Haley was pregnant or that the baby was his – that decision lay with Haley. But she also wouldn't sugar coat the truth behind Josh's involvement in the entire mess. "Tell me Josh what was it that made complimenting a drunken woman whose marriage was falling apart a good idea. To boast – I mean Nathan may be retired but he's still a big name. Some scuzzy tabloid piece to heighten your own name. Haley needed a friend that night, not some ass seducing her when she was low and drunk."

"Hey don't make it sound like that, I love Haley actually. Everything I said to her I meant, she is beautiful, she is funny and she is incredibly talented and he doesn't appreciate her." Peyton was stunned, either Haley hadn't told her the whole truth about Josh or she simply wasn't aware of Josh's take on the situation. "If I'd known that jackass had found out and kicked her out I would have been there immediately, sure she wouldn't want to live at my apartment with the others, but I'd find a place for us." Peyton almost laughed at the thought.

"And Jamie?" Josh began to look a little uncertain.

"Well he's an adult already – practically."

"Grow up Josh, you don't love her. You barely know her, but for the record yes she is beautiful and funny and talented. But also Nathan does love her and he never said he didn't appreciate her – he's not a jackass and nor he throw her out. He calmly requested she go, had she said no he would have. Just because he's is desperately hurt by what she did doesn't mean he's turned into an ass and treating her bad through their break up because he isn't. You haven't the first clue about life. And Haley sees you as a kid, and as a mistake. Stay away her and for your own sake stay away from Nathan."


Haley

Almost two weeks since she'd told Nathan, since she'd even spoken to him. Jamie stopped by every day but seemed reluctant to discuss his father with her. Lucas called him daily and relayed bits and pieces back to her. It wasn't enough. She was desperate to see him, to speak to him. Though she accepted that her marriage was over, that for Nathan there was no going back there was a huge part of her that needed to at least try and get him to forgive her. To know she'd given it her all to mend her marriage. But then her baby would kick and she knew there was no chance Nathan would ever be able to forgive her when that child would be a constant reminder of what she'd done. Despite knowing that she was still resolved to giving it a go, to talking to him. She wouldn't be able to begin to move on and make plans for her future if she hadn't at least tried. The problem being he wouldn't answer her calls. However Lucas reliably informed her that Nathan always took Brooke's girls to school. So here she was waiting outside the elementary school to see her husband.

"Nathan!" She shouted as she finally saw his figure. She watched as he bent to speak to the girls who waved at them both before hurrying into school. She hurried over to him before he turned and left. "I'm sorry to just show up here, but I needed to see you, to talk." She realised her mistake as she processed the horrified look on his face. Unconsciously her hand was resting on her stomach, the stomach that now she was nearing her 6th month was clearly swollen with her pregnancy. And all the things she'd planned to say deserted her as she took in his expression.

"Haley it's not the time or the place for this."

"We could say it's yours." She'd blurted the words out before she'd even had chance to think about them.

"No we couldn't Haley. Even if, and that's an enormous if, I could get past what you did every time I saw that child it would just remind me of how much you're killing me at this moment and there's no way I can spend a life like that. I called Lucas' divorce attorney yesterday. I made an appointment for next week. I'll be filing on grounds of adultery. You can counter claim for irreconcilable differences if you want, but to be honest it'd be easier and less painful – not to mention quicker if you just accepted it. Perhaps if you do there's a chance everything will have been divided in time for you to find your own place before the baby is born." Haley couldn't have felt more pain if he'd had physically hit her, the emotional blow he'd struck so hard. "I'm sorry Haley, it's finished." With that he was gone leaving her clutching a hand to her heart and tears in her eyes. Stunned she began to move listlessly along the pavement, her feet took her to the studio. The only place where she could allow her voice to express her emotions, either by singing or seeking comfort from Peyton. But the studio was without Peyton. She thought it entirely empty and so sunk shell shocked into Peyton's chair, the soft leather hugging her tight.

"Haley, sorry I heard noise I thought it was Peyton." Her glazed eyes moved upwards to see him in the doorway. "Haley what's happened are you okay?" As he stepped towards her she jumped up and away. A big mistake, it was as clear to him as it had been to Nathan. "Is that why Nathan wanted you out of the house? Is it...mine?" A single tear slid down her face, she struggled to breathe and was unable to find the words to answer his question. Both stood frozen, him waiting for her to speak, Haley just bewildered at how she'd ended up here. This was when Peyton arrived. One look at the two and Peyton could see exactly what Josh now knew, whether Haley had planned it or not the truth was clearly out.

"Josh go home, take time out and process stuff." Josh looked at Peyton completely lost. "Josh, go home. Now is not the time, she's not in the right state to do this." He looked at Haley again and then went. Haley sank back into Peyton's chair as soon as he was gone. She blinked away her glazed expression.

"I went to see Nathan, I wanted to try and make him forgive me. He told me he was already booked with an attorney, he was filing for divorce. He told me it'd be better if I didn't contest – that there was a chance it'd be settled and I'd be able to get a home before the baby came. He looked horrified at the sight of..."

"Oh Haley I'm sorry."

"And then Josh saw me, he knows. I need to speak to him I guess."

"There's no rush, best to just have a little time to figure things out on your own first. Plus it'll give him chance to try and wrap his head around things."


Lucas

"Hey, fancy seeing you here." He smiled lazily at the brunette. She turned to him and he saw the pushchair. He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "You want to join me?" She nodded and he closed his laptop. He disappeared to the counter to get her a hot chocolate while she settled herself at the table. He slipped back into his seat and smiled at her.

"Thanks Luke." He smiled.

"So you must have had a busy morning." He inclined his head towards the pushchair which contained a sleeping Tyler.

"First time out the house since I last saw you, first time out with Tyler."

"That's good." She nodded. "Actually I was going to stop by to see you this afternoon but here you are saved me the trouble." She looked at him decidedly warily. "Brooke, Haley has been worried about you. She's not seen or spoken to you since she left. She said you don't answer your cell and she's been worried. Obviously stopping by isn't an option for her right now so she asked if I would check on you."

"Nathan has been taking good care of us."

"I don't doubt that, I imagine my little brother has been thankful of both the company and the distraction. However Haley could do with hearing first hand that you're...coping." Brooke blushed and looked away.

"You can tell her I'm ok."

"I could, or maybe you could call her and tell her. Since you're out anyway maybe even come by the house and see her." Lucas felt Brooke's hesitation.

"Lucas I...Nathan's heartbroken. It hurts to see him like he is."

"I get that Brooke but Haley's heartbroken too."

"She cheated."

"I understand your empathy lies with Nathan and I get why Brooke but one mistake in her marriage doesn't erase all the good things she did in her marriage and it certainly doesn't erase the fantastic she has always been to you, particularly since Julian died." Lucas took a perverse pleasure from look of shame that crossed Brooke's face.

"I know you're right it's just hard."

"Life is hard Brooke. I know what Haley did was wrong and she is paying for it. There's no need for you to punish her as well. She wouldn't do it to you. I did hear a rumour that you hit Peyton because she didn't show up to Julian's funeral and you were particularly mad because had the situation been reversed you would have put the past to one side for such a tragic occasion. Well if the situation were reversed Haley would be there for you, whether you were right or wrong."

"Are you going to stop preaching now?" He chuckled at the glimpse of the Brooke Davis he had once known.

"Here endeth the lesson." She smiled at him. "So moving on, I spoke to my mom yesterday and they are planning on visiting for Thanksgiving. They usually come every year actually given that it's not a holiday over in England. I know she'd love it if you came to the house for dinner with your children...perhaps Nathan could be persuaded to join you." Lucas knew there was little hope Nathan would come and suspected that if Nathan didn't Brooke would be inclined to stay away as well. Probably from a combination of being unable to face her first holiday without Julian and loyalty to Nathan.

"Will Peyton be there?" Lucas laughed.

"Not a chance. Peyton might have made the magnanimous decision to play nice but that's a step too far. However it has been a long held tradition that since Peyton has Sawyer Christmas Day I get her for Thanksgiving."

"It must be hard not being with her for holidays and stuff." He shrugged, it wasn't ideal but this was what it had been like since she was a baby, he was used to it.

"It'll be worse when Peyton gets married and they move away with mark's job. I can't say I blame him, there can't be much for the chief of police to do in Tree Hill – not since Dan left anyway. But I can't imagine anything worse than being so far apart from my child." He could have kicked himself. "Brooke I'm sorry I..." She shook her head to cut him off.

"Don't be, you're right. As much as I love Julian if someone held a gun to my head and made me choose between him and one of my children it would obviously mean never seeing him. But he would have made the same choice so...It's strange but most of the time I can forget he's gone. He worked away on movies for months at a time, sometimes up to a year he'd be gone. Sure there'd be visits here and there but because of that it's making it easier to deal with life day by day. I know I'm fooling myself really by allowing myself to believe it's the same as when he was working but it makes it bearable. It makes getting up and being a mom achievable." In comparison to what Brooke was going through Sawyer moving across the country was almost insignificant.

"Brooke, I'm sorry to do this to you but I need to talk to someone and bizarrely it feels like you've got it more together than Nathan or Haley right now. Plus I guess given that you don't really know Peyton or I anymore you be able to be objective. Sawyer has a strained relationship with Peyton and Peyton and I have a dreadful one. Peyton has resolved to make efforts to improve things between us – mainly because Sawyer does lean towards daddy's girl and Peyton thinks if things are better with us Sawyer will thaw towards her. Anyway this all happened after a huge fight where after months of insisting to Sawyer that even if she did want to stay with me I wouldn't do that to Peyton I snapped when Peyton threatened me and told her I'd go to court to keep Sawyer with me because that's what she wanted. Well Sawyer still wants that but Peyton is trying to make things better. Do I let Sawyer down when I've said I'll look into keeping her here because of the idea a child should be with their mother or do I actually listen to my child?" He regretted asking broke the instant he stopped rambling and looked at her stunned face.

"I'll take the first part as a compliment shall I? Though by comparison it's probably not given the state of them. Lucas I can't tell you what to do, if someone wanted to take my child across the country I would fight to the death to stop it happening, which I'm sure Peyton would do if you challenge her. But if Sawyer really wants to stay and live with you then maybe consider it. I mean is Sawyer so determined to live with you because when you're the non-resident parent you do tend to be more fun and less strict. It may be worth trialling it before Peyton leaves to see whether it's because she wants to be here and with you or whether she thinks she'll get an easier ride. Also when pitching to Peyton try coming from the angle that if she's living with you Peyton gets the fun stuff and you get the crap. If Peyton does want to improve her relationship with Sawyer it might just swing things in your favour."

"Thanks Brooke and I apologise for putting you on the spot."

"It's okay, all the advice you've handed out to me I guess I owed you. I should get going. I will call Haley." She stood and put her coat on, she turned to leave. Before she did he couldn't hold the words in any longer.

"I like talking to you." She turned back to him giving him a wary look. "I don't mean that in a bad way or wrong way I just meant that – I never realised how much I missed being your friend until you were here and we spoke and it felt like we were again." Her stricken features relaxed a little.

"I think I missed being your friend too." She glanced round the cafe and her eyes rested on the sign. "It's not just a feeling, or a place – it can be people too." She looked at him then. "And I get it from you – just like I do with Nathan and Haley." He smiled at her and she attempted to smile back. Then she was gone.