AUTHOR'S NOTE!: I know, I know! Trust me, I know you want to shoot me! I'm sooo sorry I haven't updated in forever, the fact is, I haven't even wrote down a single thing since the last chapter but I really haven't had time. I'm hoping whatever happens in this chapter will be good but once again, who knows.

DISCLAIMER!: THANK YOU for giving some Brucas hope back to us in various ways, most specifically with your interview saying that we shoudl never say never for LEyton or Brucas, even though we all know we want Brucas :) Thanks for giving us more One Tree Hill too!


Chapter 12- "Fix You"

-

What did a kiss really mean? Did all of them mean the same thing? Did every one of them matter? Or were some just acts of being caught up in the moment without anything else to say or do but capture the opposite person in a second and change everything they thought before?

That was actually a really good question in Lucas' opinion. Maybe if he ever figured out the answer, he could write it in his book. Things were always so confusing! Why, when his life seemed so perfect for a few moments, did it all have to be blown away by a strong rush of wind in the form of a slender brunette who seemed to love taking his heart and playing hide and seek with it?

He knew he should have called her by now, it had been 2 days and he hadn't heard a peep from her, quite unusual for Brooke Davis who could never resist talking. He wasn't even sure when or if she was heading back to New York with her mother. He was still trying to figure out why she came back in the first place. For a while, he thought it was because she was lonely in New York and she had missed her friends and her hometown. Then he thought it was because of Peyton. And even for a fraction of a second, he thought it might have even been for him. But now, he knew it was just her way of escaping the horrible dragon lady. It was like a test:she wanted to know how far she could get from her fabulous lifestyle before it was threatened and then she would know where her boundaries were when she decided to play hookey again. It was all a game. It always was before, and maybe it always would be...

-

Alcohol. Such a wonderful thing for the person who invented it to think of. IT could drain away all the sorrow in the world, it sucked it all down to the end of the bottle. But there was a catch, when you finally reached the bottom where they had all been stored, you find them again, even more vicious than before because now they're angry.

That was the lesson of the day for Brooke Davis.

She had spent the last 2 days in her hotel with nothing but full bottles of the most expensive alcohol on the planet. Dozens of empty beer bottles, champagne bottles, scotch and rum, Vodka, and even Australian wine bottles, for some reason, littered her suite. She had done nothing but drink and cry, cry and drink since her mother had showed up with that nasty thief.

She hadn't spoken to anyone from the outside world in that amount of time and had ignored all her incoming phone calls. She realized this was a pretty stupid move considering she should have been dialing people's numbers non-stop with the news of her company going under. She should be checking up on every single store, checking stocks and managing the profiles and seeing the designs for each and every model posing for her magazine. She should be back in New York, living her life, the life that was fabulous and glamorous and totally built for her.

But she wasn't.

And she knew why she wasn't. Usually, not knowing why you were acting a certain way was what was scary. But not this time. Dealing with the reasons of why she was staying holed up and drunk was what scared her. And right now, there was no one to chase away her fears.

-

He couldn't do it anymore. He had to call her. Aside from being constantly nagged by his inner conscience that was starting to annoy him, he just had to talk to her. As angry as he was at the way she had kissed him and then left, he still couldn't resist the need to hear her voice now that he'd gotten so used to it.

So, for the second time in 3 days, he picked up his phone and dialed 'Brooke'. It rang about 5 times before going straight to her voicemail. He was hesitant at first...what was he supposed to say to her answering machine? 'Hey Brooke, it's me Luke, yeah, you know, just wanted to tell you I loved the fact that you kissed me the other night but I'm mad that you ran away'. Yeah, that was lame. He hung up the phone before he even heard the beep and decided it was for the best to save himself the embarresment. He threw his phone down and was just about to bury his face in his hands like he always did when he was frustrated before he heard the doorbell sound.

He wondered who in the world was knocking at his door now? Haley was at school, Nathan was trying to overcome his depression slowly not to mention he was in a wheel chair and couldn't drive, Peyton was...well, he was pretty sre he knew where she was. And then there was Brooke. But it couldn't be her? Could it?

He jumped up from his chair at that thought and jogged toward the door. He decided not to pull back the curtain to check on the person on the other side of it because he felt like he needed the element of surprise, and surprise is definitely what he got...

"Hi Lucas! Got a minute?"

-

"Peyton, this isn't working!" Brooke cried out, annoyed at the blonde's attempt to rid her mind of her plagued thoughts.

"Oh come on, when, in her entire life has Brooke Davis ever been able to resist a shopping day? You live for this Brooke, and well...alcohol." Peyton smiled at the joke she though she'd just made, but realized an instant too late it had absolutely no humor.

"Is that what you really think? That I'm still the same girl I was 4 years ago? That all I'm good for is spending tons of money on clothes and shoes and drinking all the alcohol in the state?!" Brooke shouted too loudly at her best friend.

"Brooke, no! That's not what I was saying! I just meant that they usually make you feel better and that whatever is on your mind right now is obviously bigger than you can handle by yourself! So how about you trust me like you said you would and tell me what's going on?"

Brooke was shocked at Peyton's pushiness. She'd never really tried that hard to get Brooke to open up before. But then again, it had never taken Brooke this long to talk to her best friend about her problems.

"I...uhmm, I just didn't have the best night at TRIC, I guess."

"You didn't have the best night TRIC? You want to elaborate on that?" Peyton asked sarcastically, she was good with sarcasm.

"Well...you know what? Later. I actually have a surpise for you! Come on!" Brooke said hoping her subject change would last her long enough to come up with a good story...

-

"Surprised to see me? Yeah, I bet you are...you know Lucas, I cannot believe you. I can't. I have done absolutely everything I can for you and yet you still won't talk to me. You won't answer my calls or my emails and I just really don't know what else I can do for you. You haven't given me anything!"

Lucas looked at the woman in front of him wondering if maybe he could escape to the front door fast enough without her getting a hold of his hair and pulling him back, hard. He waited a minute, and then decided it wouldn't work. He would be forced to talk to her and hope that the conversation wouldn't end with his death.

"Lindsey, look, I'm sorry. I know I've been ignoring you but I--I've been busy." Lucas said taking a semi-truthful approach. He had been busy, maybe not in the way his editor would hope, but it was good enough.

"You've been busy? Busy doing what? And if your answer isn't, 'I've been working long hours on my book and I've been coming up with brilliant ideas that I think your going to love', I would advise you to not say anything and follow me." She seemed to know what his answer would have been anyways because before she even gave him a chance to speak, she was walking towards his bedroom. He sighed before reluctantly following her.

She had already opened his word document on his laptop and had even given him a blank page. What he found odd was the number she seemed to be typing in bold at the top of it.

9/12/12.

"What's that for?" He asked quietly a bit afraid of what the answer would be.

"That is a date. The date. That is the date of the day that you will be finished with at least the first 6 chapters of your book. That's what you owe me right now. I should have already had the first five chapters, but it seems I've given you too much leisure time to get them to me, so now I need them all, plus chapter 6." She stopped for a second to let him process all of what she had just told him and then she continued, "I'm really sorry to say this Luke because I love your writing and I love being your editor, but I also love being an editor period. If you don't give me those chapters by this date...I'll have to let you go. I'm not sure what will happen after that, I guess you'll have to find a new company, a new editor, all of it." Lindsey finished sadly and stood up straight.

She was trying to look him in the eye as if to convey all the regret she had about what she was doing, but he was having trouble meeting her eyes. He didn't want to see the dissapointment in them.

"I don't want to do this Luke, but I have no choice. I have a boss too and to tell you the truth, he's a lot tougher than me. Your lucky it's me telling you this and not him. I have faith in you Lucas Scott, your first book was amazing and I know that this next one is going to be even better. But you have to find your inspiration. Find it in friends or family or life...maybe love. You have a gift Lucas, you know how to use words and make them mean something. Don't lose sight of that." With that, she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek, then headed for the door. He stood there in awe. Was this really happening? Was his entire life, his career, about to come crumbling down?

It didn't matter that he had 5 days to get the chapters done, it just wasn't possible. He had barely written a few sentences without deleting them in all this time he'd had to write 5 chapters!

Lucas stood there for...well, he didn't really know how long. Finally, when the pain in his legs signified the desperate need to have a rest, he sat down. He just sat and stared. His mind was in no state to process any kind of thought which was odd considering he should be typing away endlessly with brilliant words that would change the world...but he couldn't. So he sat. And brooded.

-

"Brooke! I can't believe you did this! This is incredible!" Peyton said in awe as she circled around her spot on the freshly polished hardwood floors in one of the most gorgeous homes in all of Tree Hill, a home that was apparently now the property of Brooke Davis.

Brooke didn't say anything at first. She just wanted to stand there and bask in the pride she was feeling for her best friend's face. Brooke knew she hadn't seen Peyton this happy in so long and it was all because of her and one choice she had made, one right choice. But there was still more.

"Well, if you think it's incredible now, wait until you see this. Follow me best friend!" Brooke grabbed Peyton's wrist and led her up the beautiful flight of stairs fit for a movie where the princesses walk down them slowly and gracefully. They led into an enormous hallway and right smack in the middle, there was an open door where the two women stepped inside.

Brooke let go of Peyton's wrist knowing that she would be exploring as well as probably jumping up and down in 10 seconds time when Brooke delivered the news...

"So, how do you like your room?"

Peyton looked at her in shock for a moment and sure enough, she started to jump up and down crazily and soon it was contagious enough for Brooke to do it too. Both girls were jumping around and shrieking like they were 9 years old again and it was one of the greatest moments of Brooke's life for the past 4 years.

"Brooke! Are you serious?! I'm moving in here? Brooke, gosh, I can't believe this! Do you know how perfect this is? This place is amazing and it's so close to my office at...oh my gosh! I didn't tell you! Lucas is letting me set up an office in the back of TRIC. I didn't even expect it, he just asked me to meet him there a few days ago and he told me how he believed in me and how he wanted the three of us to be here together and...wait, why aren't you smiling? What's wrong?" Peyton had just noticed the fallen look of excitement vanish from Brooke's face.

Why? Why did Peyton have to mention him? Better yet, why did Peyton have to tell her everything he said?

He'd told her that he believed in her? He said he wanted the three of them together? Together in what way? Brooke had stressed herself, cried about, him saying that the three of them didn't work together and now he was telling Peyton they should all be together? She didn't understand it. And from the look on Peyton's face, Brooke could tell Peyton didn't understand anything either.

"Nothing! Nothing, I'm fine, I just didn't know that he's giving you an office, but that's great Peyton, that's so great! Now, you'll have somewhere to start your label and it can be your headquarters when it grows into this huge company and...it's great!" Brooke said in her true fashion of hiding everything she was really feeling from the few people that actually cared to know.

She could tell Peyton didn't exactly believe everything she'd just said but she would deal with that later. For now, she just had to put her worries out of her mind and focus on the one good thing that was happening: she was going to be staying in Tree Hill with her best friend and that was final, no matter what kind of ultimatum her mother had given her.

"Look Peyton, I know all of this may seem sudden, but it's really not. We've been home for almost a week and we're still staying in a hotel! When you called me to come back with you, I knew what I was doing! To be honest, I was thinking about it for a long time myself. This is where I want to be right now!"

"Okay, I'm really happy that you're glad to be back and trust me, I'm thrilled that you bought a house and that you want us to be room mates again, but I just don't know if it's that simple. You have this perfect life in New York and a company that needs you and people that are counting on you...I can't let you minimize all of that just for me!" Peyton said smiling slightly while making sure that Brooke knew she was saying this for the best.

"I thought you just said this was perfect!" Brooke said laughing at Peyton's quick change in heart. It reminded her of someone else too.

"It is...but..." Peyton sighed. She was doing that thing where she was trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to but without hurting anybody. Brooke was too used to that sigh, the last few times she'd heard it were some of the worst of her life. She tried to urge Peyton by gently shaking her arm as a way of showing her that she could take whatever was coming. Peyton continued, "Okay. Let me ask you something Brooke, and please, don't lie, just tell me the truth. You tole me at Blue Post that the reason you came back, beside to help me, was to find yourself. You said you needed to come home to figure out if this was the place where you would really start to live your life. You told me that you were thinking of staying here forever, moving from New York to here, permanently. When you told me that Brooke, I'll be honest, I wasn't sure if I believed you or not. I know you, I know you love it in New York and that you love what you're doing there. But you asked me not to say anything to anybody about possibly moving here forever because you didn't want everyone to get their hopes up. So what have you decided Brooke? Is this your choice? Is this why you bought the house and you're asking me to move in with you, because if it is, then this is something that's going to change your life. Have you thought about what will happen to your friends in New York? Have you thought about what's going to happen to the company?" Peyton looked like she wanted to say more but she stopped herself fearing that she may have already gone too far.

This was another one of those truthful moments that Brooke had been getting used to. Peyton had just opened up to her so it was time for Brooke to spill the beans on one of the two upsetting things that had happened to her at TRIC.

"Peyton, do you want to know why I had a bad night at TRIC? Do you really want to know what my decision is about whether I stay or go back to my "perfect life"?" Brooke questioned with no sarcasm, no cattiness, and no hidden meaning behind any of it. She had been thinking about what she really wanted to do for the past few days but she had been trying to close of the deep thoughts about it until the moment when she knew things would fall into place and she could be sure that the decision she made was the right one. This was the moment she had been waiting for, the few events in the last few minutes were what had finally made up Brooke's mind; Peyton's reaction to moving in with her, Peyton talking about Lucas, thinking about what would happen to everyone's life if she were to stay. She had her answer and she was positive that the perfect person to share it with was this curly blonde, this girl that had broken and fixed Brooke's heart so many times before. She had just re-repaired her friendship with Peyton after having minimal contact with her for four years and it was because of this that Brooke knew that Peyton was the first person that should know, and the second person would be a bit harder to tell, but it would all have to be done.

"Yeah Brooke, I want to know." Peyton stared at her with the fiercest green eyes and the second her eyes locked Brooke's, she knew that there was no way she could doubt her decision now...

"Okay. I've decided to..."

Brooke's ringtone, '4 Minutes', was going off on her iPhone and she groaned at the timing that never seemed to work in her favor. She looked at her screen and saw a name she really hadn't expected to see...

Lucas Scott.

Fate really knew how to throw her the tricky cards...

AUTHOR'S NOTE!: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I know that it's been FOREVER since I updated and I'm so sorry, I have no excuse! And now, I leave you with a cliffhanger of what her decision is. I have so many thoughts that I need to share with you guys on this chapter, on where I've been and what I've been doing, but I'm afraid it will have to wait until next chapter which I'm praying will be coming to me soon! But, at least we get a new episode tomorrow! I've read spoilers for the episodes, even 5.18 which will be the last this season, and let me just say, we're in for quite a ride but there will be some pretty positive moments for us along the way.