Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.
Author's Note: As forewarned in the chapter before this, there is a huge cliffhanger at the end of this chapter and there will be an author's note for the next chapter. I am not going to say whether or not this is a deathfic or not, because that will totally ruin the surprise. But, don't hate me too much for this chapter, all right?
Author's Note 2: Okay... so the emotions in the latter half of this chapter might be a tad rushed, but I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible. So, if they don't make much sense, I'm sorry.
Author's Note 3: For reference, Gavin is the name of the drug dealer mentioned in an earlier chapter.
Reviews are not required, but they keep a writer happy!
Broken Hearts and Healing Minds
Chapter 20
Lucas woke up abruptly, letting out a groan of pain when his shoulders protested moving. He blinked, trying to remember what had happened and where he was.
"Looks like sleeping beauty is finally back with us," a deep voice chuckled from somewhere behind him. Lucas attempted to turn around to see who was speaking, but found himself unable. He felt a pair of hands pinning his arms behind his back. Crap, he thought.
"Leave him alone!" a more familiar voice protested. "He never did anything to you!"
Nathan? Now Lucas was really confused. His pounding head wasn't helping matters much, nor was the sight in front of him.
Nathan stood in between two men that were as big, if not bigger, than he was. Both the men had Nathan's arms pinned to his sides. Next to those three, Haley was struggling against two other men, who were having a hard time keeping hold of her. Lucas was both horrified and slightly amused by the sight.
"What the hell do you want?" Lucas rasped. He tried wriggling his hands out of the grasp of whoever was holding him, but the hands just tightened around his.
"I want my money," a sixth man said. He stepped into Lucas's line of sight and Lucas instantly felt his knees go weak. The man was huge and nasty looking. He could definitely kill any one of them if he wanted.
"I don't know what you mean," Lucas said shaking his head and trying to clear it. He succeeded in getting an arm wrapped around his neck. He gulped. This so wasn't going good.
"He has nothing to do with this!" Nathan shouted as he strained against the men holding him. "Neither does she! Please, just let them go and I'll get you your damn money!"
"I've had it with you kid," the man said loudly. "So I'm going to teach you a lesson in respect. I'm going to teach you what happens when a guy forgets to pay me on time. And Blondie here is going to be the example."
"Please," Nathan pleaded. "Use me instead. I'm the one that didn't pay you. C'mon, Jed, please. Gavin would've."
"Gavin is dead," Jed snapped. "I killed him myself because he was too weak to be a drug dealer. I'm not weak. And I know that the lesson won't stick unless it's about someone you care deeply for. I'm assuming this guy is your husband or something, because you're throwing a might large fit over him."
"Dude, we do not swing that way," Lucas said closing his eyes against the image. "But if it's money you want, then take the money that's in my wallet and let us go. We'll never bother you again."
"You think it's that easy?" the guy, Jed, demanded. "You think that if you just pay me everything will be fine and dandy and you can just walk away? I don't care who the Hell you are, you don't forget to pay Jed and get away with it."
"By all means, use Nathan instead," Lucas suggested ignoring the horrified and injured looks he got from Nathan and Haley. He was willing to bet that they didn't have a plan. He did. And it involved him not getting turned into street pizza by a guy with less brain cells than a common flea. "The guy has been a big thorn in my side for a while now. I have never done anything to you and he's the one that forgot to give you your money."
"You're a smart ass," Jed said. "I don't like smart asses."
Lucas felt his stomach drop through the floor as Jed pulled his arm back. This is going to hurt, he thought as the fist flew through the air and connected with Lucas's jaw.
All coherent thought went out of his mind as his head snapped to the side and pain spiked through his face. He tasted blood in his mouth and knew that he had either lost a tooth or bit his cheek so hard that it drew blood. He saw stars for a moment before his vision cleared again. Nathan and Haley were both looking at him in horror and concern.
"You're going to have to hit me a lot harder than that if you want it to hurt," Lucas said bravely while trying to rework his plan. He knew that if they ever wanted out of here, he had to get to his cell phone and text Stephen for help. To get to his cell phone, however, Lucas had to get his hands free. And at the moment, there was only one foreseeable way to do that. He hoped that all those fights with Nathan and Ryan had done some good for him, else he was about to die painfully.
"You have a big mouth," Jed commented. "That's annoying."
"Big words for a flea brain," Lucas taunted.
"Lucas," Nathan said warningly. He looked scared. Lucas didn't blame him; he was terrified as well. "Don't do this."
"Listen to your boyfriend over there if you want to stay alive," Jed said threateningly.
"You know, I'd be a hell of a lot more scared if you were saying this when I could actually fight back," Lucas said swallowing a groan when the person behind him tightened their grip on his wrists and pulled. He'd be lucky to get out of this with his shoulder intact, though judging by the look on Jed's face, he'd be lucky to get out of this alive.
"Let 'im go, Ned," Jed said.
The hands holding Lucas's arms behind his back were moved to underneath his shoulders, hauling him to his feet. Then, they were gone, leaving Lucas swaying unsteadily and facing a man at least twice his size and weight. He gulped again. This definitely wasn't one of his brighter plans.
"Dude, you do know that donuts are just fried sugar, right? They're not love," Lucas blurted out. He wished he hadn't, for the next second he was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with a black eye.
"Lucas, watch out," Haley shouted just as Jed threw another punch at Lucas. Thanks to Haley's warning, Lucas ducked it easily and darted away from Jed. The man was huge and strong, but he was not quick and agile. Lucas found himself thinking that with a lot of luck, he might actually win the fight.
Lucas continued to duck Jed's punches, occasionally managing a punch or two of his own, but still not getting anywhere close to where he could call for help. He was close to the door and he might have been able to make a break for it, but a low rumbling sound coming from the wall made him pause. In that instant, Jed took out all of his frustrations that had been building up from Lucas's avoiding his punches and landed a hard kick to Lucas's still healing ribs. Lucas heard the sharp gasps coming from Nathan and Haley, he heard the moan that broke through his own lips, and he heard the laughter coming from Jed and his goons, but he couldn't focus on anything except the mind numbing pain that engulfed him. It paralyzed him as Jed took another step toward Lucas and raised his gun to finish the job.
"Good-bye, smart ass," Jed grinned as he cocked the gun.
"Jed! Look out!" the smaller one, Ned, screamed just as the low rumbling turned into a crunching noise and the entire ceiling collapsed.
Stephen stared in shock at Brooke as Tyler climbed out of the SUV and walked up behind her. His shock turned instantly to anger as he saw his best friend.
"What the hell, Tyler? What were you thinking, bringing her to this place? She's pregnant, you jackass and this is a drug dealer palace! She can be killed in a place like this!" he shouted. "Are you really that big of a moron?"
"What were you thinking bringing Haley here?" Tyler shouted back. "And Lucas the infamous Scott brother who had heart surgery a little over a month ago? Are you really that big of a moron?"
"That's different!" Stephen yelled.
"How?" Tyler demanded.
"GUYS!" Brooke shouted over them. They both stared at her, Stephen in awe and Tyler in surprise. "Are you forgetting the real reason why we're here? Nathan is in trouble, Lucas and Haley might be as well, and you two bozos are sitting here yelling at each other about it! I'm the one that forced Tyler to bring me here like I know my cousin and friend forced you to bring them here! So can we all stop being knuckle heads and focus on that?"
They stood there in silence for a few minutes, glaring at each other. Tyler glared at Stephen, who glared at Brooke, who glared at the both of them.
"Why did you want to come here, Brooke?" Stephen questioned. "Don't you know how dangerous it is to be here? Especially for you?"
"I'll be fine," Brooke snapped. "Quit your worrying. Nathan has been a good friend to me always and I'm not about to just sit on the sidelines and watch while all the guys run around and save the day just because I'm pregnant. If you want a pushover for a girlfriend then go find some plastic bimbo at a bar!"
Stephen's jaw dropped. Tyler started laughing.
"Shut up, you," Brooke growled. "Now are we going or what?"
Stephen shook his head.
"No, Brooke, we are not going in there. Tyler and I are going in there and you're staying here, in the car, where it's safe," he said.
"If you think it's safer out here alone and pregnant than it is in there with four guys that lift weights for a living, then you need your head checked," Brooke said flatly. "I can hold my own, even if I am a girl and pregnant. Quit being a sexist pig already and grow a pair."
Tyler started laughing harder until Brooke turned her glare on him. He shut up instantly. Stephen nearly smirked.
"And you, you no good for nothing loser, if you don't quit cackling like a hyena, I might be inclined to slap you," she snarled. "Now let's go."
She spun around and started storming toward the apartment complex. Stephen and Tyler jogged to catch up to her.
"Brooke, wait a second," Stephen said reaching out and grabbing her wrist. He wasn't prepared for the violent reaction he received.
"Get your hands off of me!" she shouted. "I'm going in there to save my best friend, my cousin, and my best friend's idiot of a brother because I know something bad has happened to them! And if you can't understand that, then you and I are done because I can't be with someone who puts what he wants above everyone else! I know you hate Lucas and all, but this is just getting ridiculous!"
"I don't hate Lucas," Stephen disagreed. "The guy is probably one of the nicest I'll ever meet. I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't want Lucas and Haley to get hurt either, but I didn't exactly have a say in what they do. Haley still loves Nathan and Lucas is obligated because he's Nathan's brother. But you, you're my girlfriend and I love you and I don't want you to get hurt. I'm not trying to be a sexist pig when I'm asking you to stay behind. I'm asking you to stay safe and keep the baby safe for me because I don't know what I'd do without you two."
Tyler made a noise of discomfort, but both Brooke and Stephen ignored him. Brooke was staring at Stephen in shock, tears shining in her hazel eyes.
"What?" Stephen asked. "Why are you crying?"
"You just said that you love me," she whispered as the tears started streaking down her face. "You said that you love me."
"I do, Brooke Penelope Davis," Stephen said with a smile. "I love you so much."
"I love you too," she said throwing her arms around him. Stephen wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
"Do you understand why I want you to stay here?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Brooke murmured. "But just because I understand, Stephen doesn't mean I will. I'm sorry, but I can't be that girl that just waits for her man to come back to her."
"I guess I'll just have to protect you," Stephen said. "But only if you'll let me."
"I'll take what I can get," Brooke said with a soft smile.
"Uh, guys?" Tyler said nervously.
"What, Tyler?" Stephen asked in confusion. Tyler was never nervous about anything.
In answer to Stephen's question, the building they were standing in front of caved in, burying the occupants on the bottom floor in dirt and rubble.