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Thank you all again!

Krystal

Chapter 13:

"So, to be clear," Lucas started, "Brooke and I do not know the contents of these two squirt guns. Bevin was responsible for tinting the water," Lucas looked at Brooke, "So do we have the final tally?"

"We do," Haley stepped forward, "It's pretty split, seven people think it's a boy, six people think it's a girl." Haley opened her blouse to reveal her pink tank top, "Sorry, I forgot to pick my side, that brings girls total to seven."

Lucas looked out at the small crowd in front of him, his family. He still felt like he needed to pinch himself at times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The "pink" team consisted of his mother, Lily, Lydia, Brooke, Delilah, Finn and now Haley. "We're pathetic all of us, I mean we all picked our own gender."

Finn raised his hand, "I didn't daddy. I want mama to be having a girl too. One Ezra is enuf."

Lucas looked at his team, the "blue" team with consisted of his brother, Clay, Andy, Jamie, Marcus and Ezra. "I have the final tally from California too. The movie staff voted 31 to 19 in favor of a boy." Lucas pointed the squirt gun at Brooke, "You first pretty girl."

"After you broody." Brooke winked.

Lucas aimed, "If it's a boy, his middle name is going to be Pirate."

"Fine Luke, whatever you say." Brooke pointed her squirt gun at Lucas's equally white shirt, "This baby isn't a boy."

"Just shoot her already mate," Andy yelped.

Lucas took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger, he smiled when he saw the pink colored water appear on Brooke's shirt. Brooke shrieked, "I knew it, I told you." She started spraying him with her own gun, "I told you."

Delilah did a cartwheel and screamed, "Santa listened! Santa listened! I didn't want another stinking brother and he listened!"

Brooke looked at Ezra and noticed he was crying, "What's the matter kiddo?"

"Delia and Finn are mean," Ezra pouted, "They don't want me to be their brother anymore. I want my own room."

Brooke sat down on the grass before thinking about how hard it was going to be for her to get up, "Delilah and Finn love you. You are an amazing brother, but" Brooke brought Ezra's hand to her burgeoning abdomen, "she is going to need you as her big brother. Can you do that?"

Ezra rubbed his red tear streaked cheeks, "Yes mama." He put her face to her stomach, "You hear that in there I'm your big brother and I love you. I don't smell neither."

After some photos were taken Brooke and Lucas changed out of their wet clothes and rejoined the party, Karen was waiting for them, "So does my granddaughter have a name?"

Brooke took a sip of her Shirley Temple, "We like Gretchen, Hadley, Harper and Madison, and we're thinking of Keira for the middle name to honor Keith."

"What about Hope?" Lucas ventured, "Gretchen Hope Scott, Hadley Hope Scott, Harper Hope Scott or Madison Hope Scott."

"Why Hope," Brooke asked.

Lucas placed his hand on her stomach, "Because without having a little bit of hope there is no way we would be standing here today."

"That's beautiful Lucas," Karen said as she pulled her son in for a hug, "Your father would be so, so very proud of you."

They all turned when they heard commotion outside, "Clay what is it?" Brooke asked when they discovered who had been making all the noise on the patio.

"This happened," Clay shook his phone at her, "You are a hit Brooke! Nordstoms and Bloomingdale's love your evening ware sketches. I have three meetings set for after the new year, Penny Evans is officially expanding into evening gowns."

Brooke covered her mouth when she screamed, she didn't want to frighten all of the children, "Oh my goodness," Brooke rubbed her back, "I need to sit down."

Lucas guided Brooke to the suede glider in the corner, "Here pretty girl, do you need anything? Nothing is hurting right?"

"No Lucas, this is happiness." Brooke sat back and rubbed her belly, "These are happy tears. I love you so much and I love this family." Brooke looked past Lucas, "I love all of you. These last six months have felt like a dream, Lucas came home, first he wanted a divorce then-"

"He got sucked into that Davis charm?" Nathan interrupted with a wink, "Hey don't look at me like that Luke, you've seen it it's deadly. It's no joke, this is not a drill people, this is not a drill."

The whole room grew quiet till Haley patted Nathan's shoulder reassuringly, "We need to get you a hobby mister. You don't get out enough." Everyone laughed.

"Continue what you were saying my love," Lucas said, kissing Brooke's hand.

"We got back together which was amazing enough, but Penny Evans has also taken on a life of it's own recently. It's garnered tons of press from The Lies We Tell releases, the premieres are going to showcase the first collection of Penny Evans evening gowns." Brooke choked back a few tears, "My children are healthy and beautiful, soon enough we will be a family of six and I cannot wait for our next adventure to begin broody."

Lucas kissed her cheek and smiled, "I never thought after I left Tree Hill I would return. There was too much pain the year before I left. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said It's a funny thing about coming home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You realize what has changed is you. He was right, I came home and Tree Hill hadn't changed, I had changed. I moved out to California and had a mid life crisis, I drove a tiny sports car, I got engaged to a teenager and I thought I had it made. Then one night I started having these nightmares and I lost it. I got thrown off my movie set and was told by my doctor that I needed to go home. Coming home did not turn out the way I envisioned, it was better. I found out that Brooke and I had three beautiful children, my siblings wanted to see me, my mother loved me and Brooke forgave me." Brooke squeezed his hand, "You pretty girl are my green light, my shiny beacon of hope, I cannot wait to start this new adventure with you. I love you."

*Six Months Later*

Brooke stood out by the car and laughed as Lucas ran around frantically, "This baby is going to be born on our front porch if you don't pull it together."

"I was making sure we had everything," Lucas jogged around the car and hopped into the driver's side, "Did you call your doctor?"

"Yes," Brooke smiled.

"Did you call my mom?" Lucas asked as they backed out of the driveway.

Brooke nodded, "Yes, she's meeting us at the hospital. And before you ask, I talked to Clay, he should have been heading into the guest room as we were leaving."

"I saw him before I came out." Lucas griped the steering wheel.

"Relax broody," Brooke reached for his hand. "Everything is all good."

"I missed the last one," Lucas sighed, "The first one didn't go so well."

Brooke frowned as her mind was filed with Astrid, "She's here with us Luke. She is in Heaven with your father, that is where she is supposed to be."

Lucas turned onto Main Street, "I know, we probably wouldn't be here in this place if she were here physically."

"Exactly," Brooke leaned over and kissed him.

"Hey I just made a breakthrough, but I will not ever be cool with my heavily pregnant wife riding in the car without a seat belt."

"We were stopped for a moment, don't be such a weirdo." Brooke stuck her tongue out.

Before Lucas could respond they were turning into the hospital, "To be continued pretty girl."

*Five Hours Later*

Lucas lovingly stared at Brooke cradling their new daughter, "You are one incredible woman do you know that?"

Brooke yawned, "Thank you Lucas. Would you like to hold her?"

Lucas couldn't believe how differently this delivery had gone, Brooke had a repeat cesarean scheduled for a week before her due date, but their daughter had other plans when Brooke's water broke. "Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything?" Lucas asked as he picked up the tiny blonde.

Karen knocked on the door, "Are you ready for visitors?"

Brooke sat up, "Yes."

Karen came inside, "I didn't come alone I hope that's alright?"

Brooke laughed as Delilah, Finn and Ezra rushed inside the room and stopped suddenly at the sight of their new baby sister. "Wow," they said in unison.

Lucas sat down on the bed next to Brooke, "Are you guys ready to meet your baby sister?" The children huddled around Lucas and Karen walked around the bed and sat in the chair next to them, "This is Hadley Keira Hope Scott."

Delilah moved Hadley's blanket, "She's so small."

Her brothers' looked at her next, "Hadley I'm Ezra, I'm your big brother. I knew you were going to be a girl."

Finn glared at Ezra, "I'm her brother too."

"Boys there's no reason to argue, Hadley is going to love both of you." Lucas winked at Brooke.

"I have a gift for Miss Hadley," Karen added, talking out her phone, "Andy and Lily already brought it over to the house and hung it up." Karen handed Brooke the phone.

Brooke looked at the picture, "Oh Karen that's beautiful."

Lucas turned and grinned, "Would you like to hold your new granddaughter ma?"

"Of course," Karen said, "Here let's trade."

After handing Hadley to his mother Lucas looked at the phone and smiled, "Mom that's perfect." He zoomed into the picture to a painted canvas with the quote I HOPE you live a life you are proud of; if you find you are not, I HOPE you find the strength to start over all over again.

"It was Lily's idea, she just read The Great Gatsby and when she got to this quote in the book she insisted we had to write it out for Hadley." Hadley started to fuss a little, Karen started rocking her and she settled. "I'm so happy our lives got a little more hope today."

"Me too," Lucas smiled and leaned into kiss his wife. "Thank you."

"For," Brooke kinked her eyebrow.

"Loving me again," Lucas replied, "Starting over again."

Brooke giggled, "I never stopped broody. I could never stop. You have held my heart since we were sixteen, and you didn't ever give it back."

Tell me what you think. :) Hope you enjoyed it, tomorrow I'll be posting a short epilogue.

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Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

Krystal