A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese!

Disclaimer: Only own Maddie

Chapter Twenty One

Believe Me, I'm Lying

Soon, Peyton was back on the stand. Victoria cleared her throat before she started to speak. "It's clear that you know your daughter's likes and dislikes. But who has always been there for her? Who tucks her in at night? Who takes care of her when she's sick?"

"It's her new best friend now, Brooke Davis," Peyton replied. Victoria didn't even get a chance to ask as Peyton continued. "She is Lucas's new roommate, not to mention his new employee. He just let her move into the house without even thinking about the safety of his daughter."

Victoria was ready to fight back. "Are you aware that Maddie had already met Ms. Davis by the time that my client had asked her to move in and was comfortable being around her?"

"No, I wasn't," Peyton admitted. "Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised. Maddie warms up to almost anybody instantly. And that shouldn't happen. Maddie shouldn't be talking to strangers."

Victoria nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right. She shouldn't. So that would include talking to you, correct? After all, you haven't been around her until recently, right?"

"I have tried to contact her before, but the Scott family didn't let me get near her," Peyton protested.

"So you had to do it in secret?" Victoria asked her. "Maddie didn't know who you were at first, right?"

"No, that's not true," Peyton replied. "At first, I had watched her from afar. It was only after Lucas told me that he wouldn't allow me to see her when I started making my presence known to her." Lucas knew that that statement was a lie. "As for Maddie not knowing who I was, that's also not true. She had seen me in pictures before, but she wasn't completely sure until I showed her a picture that was taken at the hospital the day she was born. She then believed that I was her mother."

"Is it true that you forced not only Maddie, but her cousin Jamie and friend Jenny not to tell anybody about your visits to the school?" Victoria asked her.

"No, it's not," Peyton replied. Lucas wondered what her excuse was this time. "I didn't force anybody. I simply asked her if she could keep our meeting a secret until I could find the right time to tell Lucas. She was willing to do it. As for Jamie and Jenny, Jamie wanted to tell his mom. But Maddie was the one who convinced him that it had to be a secret. And Jenny was willing to keep it a secret for her best friend."

Victoria decided to change the subject to Lucas. "Is it true that you claimed that my client wasn't the father of Maddie?"

"No, I didn't," Peyton replied. "At the time, I thought that he wasn't."

Brooke then realized that there was a possibility that Julian been having an affair with Peyton even before she had found out about it. She really didn't want to hear anymore and quietly excused herself before leaving the courtroom. She ignored the confused and concerned looks of the Scott family as she went out into the hall.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see Karen hurrying to catch up with her. "It's tough watching the trial, isn't it?" she asked her as they sat down on a bench. "Especially when someone is telling lies to the judge."

Brooke sighed. "Do you think that Peyton was having an affair with Julian while she was still with Lucas?"

"Honestly, I don't think so. I think she said it just to hurt him; just like she did when she claimed that Lucas wasn't Maddie's father," Karen replied. "I think she is willing to say anything to get custody of Maddie." She then let out a sigh herself as she added, "It looks like she is learning from the best."

Brooke knew that she meant Dan. "I think she had a teacher before Dan. After all, she met Julian before she caught up with him."

Karen knew that was true. "You look like you need to rest. Why don't you go back to the house and relax for a few hours? Then maybe you could pick up Maddie for me? I was supposed to, but I have a feeling that this trial will go on all afternoon," she replied.

Brooke managed to give her a smile as she gave her her answer. "I'd love to."

A few hours later, Brooke was walking down the school hallway and to Maddie's classroom. She stood in the doorway and looked for Maddie. It didn't take long to find her as most of the students had already been picked up by their parents. However, Jamie and Jenny were still there.

Maddie was coloring a picture at one of the tables in a corner of the room. She looked up for a second and gave Brooke a wide smile. She then put her crayon down and ran towards her. Brooke held out her arms and Maddie went into them. She embraced her in a big hug. "Hey, did you have fun in preschool today?" Brooke asked her as Jamie and Jenny came over to them. Maddie made a face as Jamie and Jenny greeted Brooke. Brooke noticed the face and frowned as she asked, "What happened?"

Before Maddie could answer, an unfamiliar voice spoke. Brooke turned to the woman. "You must be Brooke. Maddie talks about you all the time. I'm Ms. Richards, her teacher," Ms. Richards said.

"It's nice to meet you," Brooke replied.

"I was hoping to talk to Mr. Scott, but I should have known that he was busy," Ms. Richards said.

"Did something happen?" Brooke asked concerned. Ms. Richards was quiet for a moment. Brooke then knew that she wanted to discuss it in private. "Maddie, why don't you go and finish your picture while I talk to your teacher?"

Maddie sighed, but she obediently walked back over to the table and sat down in the chair. "No offense, but I really should be discussing this incident with Mr. Scott," Ms. Richards said.

Brooke raised her eyebrows. "Incident? What incident?" she asked curiously.

Ms. Richards sighed before answering. "Maddie is usually so well-behaved, but today she started fighting with one of the other kids. From what I can understand, Maddie became upset because the other kid told her that she was going to end up with her mom," she explained. "I understand that she's worried, but fighting isn't the answer."

"I'll talk to her. And I'll tell her dad," Brooke said. "I'm sure it won't happen again."

"I hope not because I would hate to testify and tell the judge about her fighting with her classmates," Ms. Richards replied. Brooke looked at her confused. "I'm supposed to testify for the custody trial. And that's all I'm going to say about that."

Brooke nodded understandingly. "Well, I guess we should get going. It was nice meeting you." She then turned to Maddie. "Are you ready to go?" she asked her as Maddie came over to them. She nodded. "Great. Go get your stuff together and say good-bye to Ms. Richards and your friends," she instructed her.

Maddie grabbed her stuff that she needed before she and her teacher exchanged good-byes. She then followed Brooke out of the door. Neither said anything until after they were on the road. "Brooke, I'm sorry. Are you going to tell Daddy?" Maddie asked quietly.

Brooke didn't answer for a moment. "Why don't we go somewhere to talk? How about the River Court? It's your favorite place."

Maddie shook her head. "No, it's not. It's Daddy's favorite place. Mine is the park. I love the swings."

"We'll go to the park then," Brooke replied.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the park. Soon, the two were on the swings. After awhile, Brooke ran out of energy and couldn't pump anymore. So she slowed down. "Ok, I think we need a break. Why don't we go over by the bench and let other kids have a chance at the swings?" Maddie nodded as she slowed down and got off of her swing. They walked through the playground until they reached a bench. They sat down before Brooke spoke again. "I can see why you love this place. It's perfect for a little girl like you."

"Don't tell Daddy. I don't want to hurt his feelings," Maddie said.

Brooke gave her a comforting smile. "It'll be our secret." There was a short pause before she decided that it was time to talk about the incident at school. "Your feelings were hurt today, weren't they?"

Maddie nodded. "Chuck said that Mommy will get custody of me, no matter what. His mommy was even helping Mommy by telling the judge about their life without his daddy."

Brooke then realized that Peyton was recruiting single mothers to show how their children's lives were better without the father. She had a feeling that Sylvia Baker was one of them. She snapped out of her daydream as she realized that she had to focus on Maddie. "Well, Chuck's mom may be helping yours, but that doesn't mean that the judge will decide that you have to move in with her." Before Maddie could protest, Brooke went on. "Even if he does, that doesn't mean you should fight with Chuck. That's not using that Maddie charm for good."

"How do I use it for good?" Maddie asked as she pulled a thoughtful expression. She then asked, "I use my words?"

Brooke nodded. "That's right. You use your words. Fighting is never the answer. Promise me that you won't do it again."

"I promise," Maddie replied. "Does this mean that you won't tell Daddy what I did?"

Brooke tried not to laugh. "Nice try, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to. But I'll try to get your dad to let you off with a warning instead of a punishment."

Maddie managed a smile. "Thanks, Brooke. You're the best."

Brooke returned her smile. She then thought for a moment. "What do you say we get out of here and get some ice cream?" she asked her. Maddie nodded eagerly. "Then let's go." They then got up from the bench and headed back to the car.

When they arrived home, Lucas was already there, waiting for them. After they exchanged greetings, he sent Maddie off to play so that he and Brooke could talk. He looked at her concerned. "Are you ok? You left the courtroom so quickly during Peyton's testimony. It made me wonder if you were alright. My mom said that you were, but I just want to make sure."

Brooke gave him a comforting smile. "I'm fine. We have a bigger problem though," she told him. "It's about Maddie." Lucas didn't even have a chance to ask before Brooke explained what had happened earlier.

Lucas sighed. "I should have known that Peyton had asked Chuck's mom for help. She never did like me. Or Haley. I'm surprised that Jamie is friends with that boy."

Brooke could tell from his tone that something wasn't right. "Was the trial any better after I left?"

"It was a catfight between Peyton and your mom," Lucas replied. "Both Dan and Judge Turner had to stop them a few times. After Peyton took the stand, it was her doctor." Brooke gave her a confused look. He cleared the matter up. "It's the one who told her that she was losing herself because she had become a mother so quickly. After that, the judge wanted to stop for the day. So we're going to continue tomorrow with more of Peyton's witnesses."

"That sounds like fun," Brooke replied.

"I can't wait until I can take the stand or my character witnesses. Haley's dying to tell Dan off," Lucas told her.

Brooke tried not to smile. "I bet she is." She then looked at him. "Are you sure you don't want me to take the stand? I think I can really help you by telling people how Peyton was when she was in my life."

Lucas smiled gratefully. "Thanks, but you're already helping me by helping Maddie." There was then a short pause before he spoke. "I don't think I can really be a parent to her right now." He then corrected himself. "Not a disciplining one anyway."

Brooke turned red. "Well, I gave her the lecture. But I told her that you would let her off with a warning this time."

Lucas laughed. "I suppose she can get away with this one this time."

"Thank you, Daddy," Maddie called as she came into the room. She embraced her father in a hug as she told him, "I won't do it again."

"It'd better not," Lucas replied as he pulled away. "Because I won't tolerate that type of behavior." He then turned to Brooke and added, "Or you falling for that Maddie charm."

Brooke pretended to be offended before she gave him a smile. "You know me. I can't resist falling for that irresistible Maddie charm. I promise you that it won't happen again."

Lucas smiled in return. "I'll hold you to it."