Thanks again to Jenna for all her help and I hope you all enjoy x x x

Haley stood looking around the room a lot more closely than she had previously. Only now that Brooke had pointed it out had she actually realised how empty the room really was. There was the standard couch, a few chairs, a table, the TV and a few shelves, which had nothing on them, but other than that it was bare. The walls were painted a pale blue, ironically, it was the perfect colour for the room, cold, that was the perfect word to describe the room and the colour on the walls.

At first she wasn't sure why but she felt a tint of sadness creep over her, standing there in her best-friend's apartment, but then it dawned on her that it was in fact the first time she had actually been inside his apartment for longer than 5 minutes, she hadn't helped him move in or unpack, she hadn't been round for dinner. They hadn't hung out like they once used to since he got back, sure she had Nathan and James but why should that mean that her friendship with him had to suffer, it certainly wasn't an excuse. It wasn't like it was one or the other, he was technically family after all. She made her way over to the drawer Brooke had been talking about and tried to open it but sure enough Brooke had been right as it refused to budge

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Brooke made her way into yet another furniture store, and so far she hadn't had any luck even though she wasn't looking for all that much. The first couple of stores seemed so cheap and tacky that there was no way she was spending a dime in those places. Besides, if she had it, the items would probably have fallen apart or be riddled with fleas anyway. She wanted Luke's apartment to feel cosy and homey, yet elegant and sophisticated. She wanted it to have a touch of class, but most of all she wanted it to be special.

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As Haley sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by various pictures she had selected from Lucas' collection, she looked over her choices. There had been quite a few from his childhood, typical family pictures of him and Karen, and as to be expected there were plenty of Keith. Even now, five years after Keith's death, it still broke her heart as she admired a picture of the three of them at Christmas. Lucas couldn't have been much older than about five, and they all looked so happy. Haley felt a few tears threaten to fall just thinking about how Keith was ripped away from them. She knew Lucas still missed him, it was evident every time Keith came up in conversation, not that anyone would ever fault him for missing the man who was essentially his father growing up. She hadn't said this to him but she knew he missed the guidance Keith had given him, Keith had always been there for him, no matter what, Lucas could always count on him, he didn't have any other male role models in his life and when he was taken away so suddenly it was like he lost his way, he forgot what was truly important and let go off the things he wanted and needed the most… including Brooke.

Then of course there were the pictures of the two of them together, everything was just so simple when it was just the two best friends. Haley and Lucas against the world they would always say. Except one day it all changed, quite literally over night, and the world they had once known was gone. One thing, however, had remained the same, and that was their friendship and love for each other. People would come into and leave their lives but they always knew that the other would be there when it really mattered. Haley picked up one picture of the two of them in particular, they were only about 8 or 9, and she remembered it like it was yesterday. The two of them had set their hearts on going camping but Karen had been reluctant to take them as she couldn't afford to close the café and risk losing any business, So, as a solution, she had taken her sister's tent that she had used when she had gone camping with the school and between the two of them they had managed to pitch the tent in her back garden. It wasn't the real thing but it felt like it at the time. They had their flashlights and sleeping bags, and had even built a small camp fire with a little help from her dad. They had had so much fun that weekend, even when it had begun to rain it didn't dampen their spirits, it was all part of the adventure after all.

As she continued to search through the pile of photos Haley was surprised that she hadn't found any of Lucas and Brooke. Considering that he had declared his love for the girl in his book, it just didn't make any sense. Of course there were the group pictures in which they were both included but there were none of the two of them together in any of the piles she had sorted through, she had found ones of him and Nathan, a few with James, a dozen or so pictures of him and Peyton but none of Brooke. Not even one of her on her own. In fact, if he didn't have the pictures of her in his bedroom then it would have seemed as though she didn't even exist.

She carefully selected a few that she thought would stir up good memories and put them to the side, then, looking, at the pile of pictures of him and Peyton she picked them up and placed them neatly back in the box. Although Peyton had played a significant role in his life and Haley knew how much she meant to him, Haley felt that considering Brooke was due back anytime it wasn't a good idea to spread reminders of the reason why they had broken up around the apartment and being his best friend she was pretty sure Lucas would not appreciate them displayed everywhere either. There was no use opening old wounds. She packed the remaining pictures back into the box and closed the cupboard, now all she had to do was find the key

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"Do you have this in blue?" Brooke asked the sales assistant who frankly didn't seem to have a clue, she was clearly young, maybe even still in high school, but regardless of that she had to be one of the least helpful sales people Brooke had ever spoken to. The girl seemed to be more concerned with the bleeping coming from her phone than the fact that she had a customer waiting and to say Brooke was becoming slightly irritated by this girl's behaviour and lack of manners was an understatement.

"I don't know" the girl replied glancing up at her for a second before returning back to her magazine.

"Well could you at least go and check?" She asked as she drummed her fingers on the counter.

The girl rolled her eyes and closed her magazine, placing it on the counter.

"What colour did you want again?" The girl asked as she made her way out from behind the counter and headed towards the store room

"God have you even listened to a word I've said, I want this in blue, is that so hard to understand" Brooke snapped, she knew she was being rather harsh but maybe had the girl actually paid a little more attention to her and actually tried listening then she wouldn't have lost her temper so quickly.

"Is this what you were looking for?" The girl asked as she reappeared with a blue rug rolled tightly underneath her arm.

"That's perfect, I'll take it"

"Ok that will be five hundred dollars" the girl announced.

Shocked, Brooke took note of the girls nametag, "Listen, Shelly is it? There must be some sort of mistake, the ones over there are only fifty and they are identical except the colour"

"Well that's what the label says"

"Well the label is wrong"

"I'll have to go and check with the manager" The girl said, although she didn't seem to care in the least at making an attempt to correct the issue, no interest what so ever.

"How long will that take?" she asked rolling her eyes at the incompetence of the girl

"She should get back from her lunch break in an hour or so" She answered as she resumed her reading

"An hour!" She exclaimed, "I am not about to spend anymore time here waiting for a manager who might I add, may or may not even show. Is there anyone else who you could ask?"

"Nope! Just me today" She didn't even glance up, she was probably too busy reading about who had cellulite or who had their boobs done this week, Brooke thought.

"Look," Brooke said, "just ring it up". If it hadn't been for the fact that the rug was perfect, then she would have walked out of the store and gone somewhere else, but she wanted the rug, even if it meant spending way more than the actual price.

"Are you sure?" The girl asked rolling her eyes, clearly put out that she would have to actually do some work.

"Yeah but word of advice, you might want to brush up on your people skills a bit" Brooke smiled sweetly as she handed the girl her credit card.

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So far Haley had raided everywhere she could think of searching for this invisible key, obviously whatever was in the drawer Lucas didn't want people seeing and she couldn't help but feel guilty going through all his stuff like this. It was an invasion of privacy and if he wanted to keep some things to himself and hidden away then who were they to question it or go against it? Her head was telling her to give up in her search for the key and that it was probably best left unfound, however she had a funny feeling that Brooke was not going to give up so easily. Brooke had never been one to accept things just not going her way. If she was told not to do something or that it just wasn't meant to be then that simply made her more determined to do it, and the drawer had an air of mystery about it which she knew would only entice Brooke further. Despite the guilt that was quickly filling her body she found herself once more hunting for the key.

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Brooke loaded the car up with the numerous bags, she had been right to ask Haley to stay at home as what would have been her seat was currently loaded with bags containing various items. She hadn't meant to buy so much, but Brooke easily found herself justifying the purchases because it wasn't like he didn't need them.

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Haley looked at her best-friend's room, "If I were a key, where would I be?" She said quietly to herself. She had looked everywhere and yet nothing, but then something caught her eye, something she hadn't paid much attention to before, she knew it was a long shot but she had run out of options. She made her way over to chest on which a number of pictures were rested on and in particular the image of him and Brooke. She carefully took the back off the frame and sure enough there was the key. It had been in front of her all along, if only she had really thought about it then she would have found it a lot sooner. "Always in the last place you look…" Haley muttered to herself. Quietly laughing at herself realizing the idiocy of that that statement. She placed the back off the frame back on and hurried over to the locked drawer, she knew she shouldn't open it but yet she still found herself inserting the key and twisting it to the left, she wasn't sure what she was going to find but she couldn't stop the rush of adrenaline and suspense as she slowly the pulled the drawer open.

Her eyes bulged and she clasped her hand over her mouth in shock as she viewed the contents of the drawer.

"It all makes sense" Haley muttered as she slowly removed her hand from covering her mouth.

"Hales I'm gonna need your help…" Brooke said as she struggled to get in the door with the massive rug. Somehow, she had managed to carry it up the flights of stairs but not without difficulty. She had been close to dropping it several times and considering the amount she had ended up paying for it, there was now way she letting it get damaged.

"Oh you found the key then" Brooke said as she glanced over at her friend and the open drawer.

"Yeah…" Haley said as she hastily pushed it shut and turned the key making sure it was locked before Brooke could get a chance to see the items in the drawer.

"So… let's see then, what's in there?" Brooke asked with curiosity, making her way over to the drawer.

"Nothing really" Haley managed to sputter out, hoping she wasn't giving Brooke anything to believe she wasn't being honest about the contents of the drawer.

"There must be something, I mean why keep it locked if there is nothing in there?"

"There were just some personal things."

"Like what?" Brooke probed.

"Some things to do with Keith, letters and stuff, nothing that would interest you."

"Aw and there was me expecting something juicy"

"You have no idea" Haley muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing"

"Must just be me then…" Brooke said, "I'm gonna go back to the car then and unload the rest of it and you can have a look at what I bought!" Brooke said with excitement as she bounced out of the door.

Haley could hear Brooke's heels sound as she made her way down the concrete stairs. She quickly made her way back into the bedroom and returned the key to the exact place she had found it, her mind drifting back to what she had found in the drawer. It was like Pandora's box, now it had been opened there was no stopping what was unleashed. She could only be grateful that Brooke had not been able to see the contents of the drawer, as she was pretty sure no one was prepared for that just yet, not Lucas and definitely not Brooke. The repercussions would be huge, that she knew for sure. She was beginning to wish she had never opened the drawer in the first place. That way she could have carried on blissfully unaware, rather than constantly worrying about Brooke finding the key and managing to get in that drawer. Haley could feel the heavy weight of Lucas' 'Pandora's box' resting on her shoulders and she wasn't sure how to remove it. She couldn't talk to Lucas about it that she knew for sure. He may be her best friend but she was pretty sure he wouldn't react well to hearing that she had been snooping through all of his things and going through his private drawer. She certainly couldn't talk about it to Brooke, she was the last person she could mention it to. She hated lying to her friend about what was in the drawer but she could hardly tell her the truth.

Flashback

She stared at the contents in shock, there was a neat pile of paper and she instantly recognised the handwriting, it was Brooke's.

Dear Lucas

You probably hate me now and I don't blame you, but you have to know that I love you, I love you so much that it hurts. When you kissed me it was like I went into shock, you have no idea how long I have wanted to feel the touch of your lips again but when it finally happened I freaked, I was so scared. I was scared of the way you made me feel, scared of letting my heart go there again, so I did the only thing I could, I ran. You see when you hurt me last time I said I would never let anyone in again, I would never let myself get hurt like before, the truth is I can't let you back in my heart, because I never let you out in the first place. You have always been in my heart, you were the first guy and only guy I have ever been in love with and that scares the hell out of me.

It quickly dawned on her that it was one of the many letters she had written the summer before senior year. Part of her wanted to shut the drawer before she found anything else but the curiosity got the better of her and she found herself reading on.

We were doing so well as friends and I didn't want to ruin it, I didn't want to risk putting myself out there and getting my heart broken, not again. When you touched me I got goose bumps, when I was near you I wanted to kiss you, I am so in love with you it's crazy. But when I found the box of Peyton's things it was like a big fat reality check and it brought me crashing back down. I remember how you had broken my heart, I remembered how you had betrayed me with my best-friend, all the lies, all the hurt and it made me cry to think that the one I love had done that to me.

I can't control how I feel though, my heart wants you and I have to follow my heart, I only hope it's not too late.

Love you and miss you

Brooke

X X X

She flicked through the letters in disbelief, Brooke had said there were 82 letters and although she had no reason to doubt that, holding them in her hands, every last one of them shocked her. They weren't short or pointless letters either, they were deep and meaningful, each letter filled with more emotion than the last, her love for him was clear to see in black and white. Once more she found a tear coming to her eye as she read Brooke's words over and over again.

I can't control how I feel though, my heart wants you and I have to follow my heart, I only hope it's not too late.

Maybe it wasn't too late for them after all, especially if her heart still wanted him then maybe she could manage to give him another chance and follow her heart once more.

Brooke didn't always show how she was feeling but one thing that could never be doubted was that she had a heart of gold. She may act tough at times but inside is a girl who is simply so desperate to be loved and wanted, and whoever she chose to give her love to would be the luckiest guy around. Whoever Brooke would give her heart to would be showered with love, she only hoped that whoever it might be treated her like a princess in return and showed her the love she deserved. If there was one person Haley wanted to see happy and in love again it was Brooke.

She stuffed the letters back in the drawer and looked at the rest of the contents, carefully picking up what looked to be a book of some sort. Haley soon realised it was in fact a photo album and suddenly it all made sense, this was why she couldn't find any pictures of the two of them or any of Brooke on her own. They were all in the drawer, tucked safely away. She flicked her way through the album, in every picture they looked so happy, like they were untouchable.

She slammed the album shut, only half way through, but she had a pretty good idea of what the rest of the album contained. What she couldn't understand was how a love so strong had been broken, they had been so in love and yet in the end it hadn't been enough. She knew Peyton had played a large part in the break-up but didn't hold any animosity towards Peyton, if Brooke could manage to forgive her then why should she have any ill feeling towards her, she was supposed to be her friend after all.

She placed the album back in exactly the same place she had removed it from and moved on to the remaining item in the drawer, it was a dark mahogany box. Gently lifting the lid and staring in confusion at its contents, Haley was unsure what to make of it. A lone red feather… the entire contents of the box was a feather. Why would he keep a feather? Searching her mind to think of why that would be significant, she came up with nothing, complete blanks. Hearing someone approach, she shut the lid and quickly placed the box safely back in the drawer as the clicking of heels became louder as they neared closer to the apartment.

End of flashback

"So what do you think?" Brooke asked in her usual bubbly manner as she placed several more bags onto the couch.

"Sorry… What?" Haley asked as she walked to where Brooke was standing.

"About the stuff I bought, what do you think?"

"It's nice"

"Nice? I've spent the last few hours rushing around buying all of this and all you say is nice, this is quality Haley."

"Sorry… It looks really great Brooke" She replied as cheerfully as she could.

"That's more like it." Brooke paused, "What's up with you tutor mom, you've gone all funny on me?"

"It's nothing really" She lied, there was no way she was telling Brooke about what she found but she couldn't stop thinking about it. "So show me what you've got then?" Haley mustered a smile as she tried to push what she had found to the back of her head.

"Well I thought this would look perfect over here" She carried the lamp she had bought over to the corner of the room

"That's great but don't you think it looks rather odd" Haley asked as she stared at the lamp that was resting on the floor

"One step ahead of you Hales, if you go to the car in the back you will see a beautiful mahogany table"

"Mahogany huh"

"Yeah… Why? You don't think he'll like it?" Brooke asked worried, if anyone knew Lucas it was Haley.

"No I am sure he'll love it" It seemed that she just was not going to be able to forget about that stupid drawer. She wished she had never opened it, that Brooke had never mentioned it and then she would never have been in the position she was in now.

It was hard enough lying to Brooke about the book, not that she was keeping it from her for Lucas's sake either, far from it actually. The reason why she hadn't told her was simply that she didn't know if Brooke was ready to hear it, unsure if Brooke could take much more where Lucas was concerned and she really seemed to be trying to move on with her life. Haley didn't want to be the one who sucked her back into this mess that Lucas had created.

"Would you mind bringing it in, it's just I've already nearly fallen on those stairs twice and I really don't want to end up in a cast"

"Sure I could do with the fresh air anyway" She exited the apartment and hurriedly made her way to the car. Just being in the same room as Brooke made her feel guilty, hating to be keeping secrets from her but she was trying to protect her. Despite trying to protect her Haley couldn't help but feel as if she was doing the wrong thing, that maybe it would simply be better for everything to be out in the open. She let out a loud sigh as the fresh air hit her.

"Why is life so complicated?" She muttered to herself, lies upon more lies, and endless stream of secrets, why couldn't it just be like it used to be.

Well I hope you all liked it, please review so I can hear what you thought of it x x x