AN: Wow, this has been seriously painful. I had nearly a complete chapter ready for posting three days ago, started the re-read for editing, and realized I was trying to gloss over an entire month in New York in just a couple of chapters. So I went back to the beginning of the chapter, and added a section. Then thought of another section. And another. Before I knew it, I'd written nearly a complete chapter in add on sections, and my document was 22 pages long. Yeah…so, to make up for the fact that I haven't posted anything new in nearly a week, I hung on to the update until I knew I had two complete chapters ready for posting. So…here goes. I'll have the next chapter up before the end of tonight, promise!!
A couple thank you's before the chapter:
flipflopgal, othfan326, whiters, broodyprettygirl, toddntan, iluvmedou, brucas333, brucas224, maya2, y'all are amazing! I mean, seriously the fact that you guys stop and take the time to leave a review warms my heart. I absolutely love the fact that I get reviews, it's what keeps me going on my stories. Hope this chapter lives up to y'all's expectations. Oh…and on the baby note, I'm not telling, it's good guesses, one of you is right, and it'll all come clean soon! Hope you enjoy!
"Davis! Phone call, line 3!"
"Amy, I'm busy. Take a message."
"Sorry Davis, but I'm not your personal messenger bitch. You want to take a message, here's a pen and paper," as said pen and paper were shoved into her field of vision.
"Damnit Amy! I don't have time for this! Just take the fucking message!"
Brooke was pissed. Angry. Down right livid. Three days and counting to her last day at work and absolutely nothing had gone right so far. She so didn't need this right now.
The beeping of the waiting line on Brooke's phone and the slamming of the door as Amy ignored her and walked out sent her right over the edge. Muttering something that would have sent wolves skulking for cover, she ripped the cord from the wall and hurled the poor unsuspecting phone at the closed door. For the first time in a long, long time, she wished it was glass so it would shatter with a loud crash. She could have used the release.
As it was, the dull thud that came from the phone connecting with the wood didn't do nearly as much to appease her current level of frustration and utter exhaustion. She'd been working non stop since she'd turned in her resignation, trying hard not to leave the company in a lurch. She'd poured so much of herself into it, she'd be damned if she watched it fall apart when she left. Which, yes, she was well aware sounded stupid and backwards. Normally when someone left, it was to watch the aftermath of a departure that shouldn't have happened and could have been stopped with a little bit of recognition and a couple monetary bonuses. Not Brooke Davis. She was a better person than that. Or so she kept telling herself.
"Brookie? You alright?" Juniper's head peaked from around the door, not entirely certain it was safe – she really didn't want to get caught in the path of any more flying projectiles.
"Juni, what am I supposed to do?! I've got three days left. Three!"
"Whoa, alright, let's take a deep breath!" Her friend stepped fully into the tastefully decorated office and shut the door behind her. Juniper eyed the remnants of the smashed phone and tip toed around the mess of electronic parts and cables.
Brooke plopped into her comfy leather chair and nearly sobbed from the pressure squeezing her insides. She hadn't wanted things to turn out this way. Things weren't suppose to turn so upside down. The beat up brunette dropped her head into her hands and groaned.
"Come on sunshine. It'll be alright. Alcott's an ass, we all know this, but you're stronger than him. We'll get whatever needs to get done between now and Friday, and then you'll say good bye, we'll cry, and you'll move on to the next step in your life."
"I don't know if I can do this Juni. I've worked so damn hard for all of this!" Brooke threw her hands up in the air, waving wildly.
"You're right, you have. To the point that you've lost yourself in the work and placed your own self worth second to that of the company. While it was what we needed when you first got here, somewhere between your first day and your last week that need shifted. But you didn't. It speaks volumes for your selflessness though." Juniper walked around the chairs and the desk, perching on the edge next to Brooke so they could talk, friend to friend, not co worker to co worker.
"How could Alcott be such an ass? Would it have been that hard to fucking let me transfer?!"
"Of course not. He's a control freak and the thought of you leaving him wasn't something he could handle."
"Oh, and letting me turn in my resignation is less of a 'leaving him' than letting me work from a home that's an hour's plane ride away from the damn office?"
"Hey, I never said what he did made sense! I just said he's a control freak. Like I said, he's an ass."
Brooke choked out a guttural laugh, full of cynicism and pain and heart break. Her office had become her second home. The idea of walking away from it all would be her only regret.
Juniper slid off the desk and crouched in front of her friend. She rubbed a calming hand on her knee, wanting desperately to kick Alcott's stubborn head in.
"Juni, am I doing the right thing here? I mean, truly? I'm walking away from it all to follow a boy – a man, back to a town that I tried to escape. Is this what's best for me?"
"Brooke, be serious. You and I both know you've never been really happy here. I swear, when you came back from your vacation you were positively glowing. How could going back home not be the right thing? Don't let Alcott's shitty attitude ruin this for you." She was going to kill their boss for this stunt.
"But I'm leaving so much behind! I feel horrible for how short a time I have here! I mean, seriously, I've got three days!" She was wailing again. Damnit. Alcott was going to die a slow, painful, excruciating death.
"You've got to calm down sugar. This isn't healthy. You're right, you've got three days. But it's not your fault. It's Alcott's. He avoided you for a week, then said no when you offered the compromise that would have made everyone happy. He forced this on you, he can damn well deal with the fucking consequences."
"You think so?" Brooke sniffled. She hadn't actually started crying yet, but the tears were there, lurking, just waiting for a break in her resolve to start bawling.
"I know so. You've done more for this company, and handled this situation better than anyone else has any right to expect. We'll wrap up what needs to get done, finish the transfers, and you'll walk away with your head held high."
"We'll?"
"Yes, damnit, we'll do it together. I know we're nearly the same age. And I know that you've got a higher position than I do. And I know that you've got a better handle on the inner workings of this company. But I've felt kind of like your older sister this whole time, and I wont let you take on this pressure and these responsibilities alone. We're in this together, you know that."
"Aww Juni! You're the best!" Brooke leapt out of her chair and wrapped the slightly older woman in a tight hug. Leaving her friends was going to be the hardest part of this whole shift. But she would be going home to more friends and family, and she could always come back for a visit.
"Ha, don't you forget it!"
"I promise I wont. I'm sorry for being so weak earlier. I really truly do want to go home, and I love Luke. I don't want to be anywhere without him. It's just been so hard here. You and the other girls are like family to me. I'm going to miss you guys so much!"
"And we're going to miss you sugar! But we'll stay in touch. No worries. Come on, let's get this mess cleaned up and wrap up whatever you need done. You should get home to your man," Juni said, winking at her. Brooke laughed and the two set to straightening things up and organizing Brooke's files. "Besides, it's not like you're leaving the state in three days, just the company. We've still got a whole week after that to hang out and have fun before you move for good. Right?"
"Right. We'll have to do dinner again before I leave. Promise?"
"Deal!"
Maybe it all will turn out okay, Brooke thought to herself. Hmm, wonder if Amy ever took that message??
-
Those last three days in the office flew by for Brooke. She'd gotten more done than she'd thought was going to be possible, but she still felt like she was leaving a mess behind her. Juni and Marie and the other girls had been a huge help with everything, and Brooke felt an intense pang of guilt for leaving them with the remains of her job.
Truth be told, she'd worked as hard as she had for the last three days for her girls. Alcott be damned, if it hadn't been for her friends she'd have walked away from it all the day she'd turned in her resignation. But she couldn't do that to the other people in the company. It just wasn't fair.
Lucas had had a really hard time understanding why she'd buried herself in work so intensely during the week. She had told him about her boss' reaction to the whole thing and it was all she could do to keep him from marching into Alcott's office and beating some CEO ass.
Now that her last day had finally arrived, Brooke felt a sense of release. She was walking away with her head held high, knowing full well that she'd done the right thing here. She was leaving, yes, but she wasn't running. Maybe she really was growing up.
Brooke sat quietly in her office, all her personal belongings long since packed away into yet another brown box, taped, and stored away. The walls were bare, the desk empty. It didn't feel like home again, which Brooke guessed in retrospect was probably a good thing. As the clock ticked to closing time, the tired woman sighed and clicked off her desk lamp.
"Good bye," she whispered, to no one in particular and to everything in general.
-
Their last week in New York started off with a sour bang. Brooke had over slept, Nathan burned breakfast, and Luke was grumpy beyond all recognition. He was soooo ready to go home.
"Brooke! Come on! We're going to be late!" Lucas shook his head, the irony of the whole thing striking him as not even remotely funny. Last time they'd done this dance, she'd been chasing his ass into the appointment, and now she was going to not only be late for hers, but make him late to his own!
"I'm sorry! But someone packed away all my dress shoes!" Brooke was hopping around the house, trying desperately to find the heels she'd bought at the store the day before, specifically for the meeting she'd had coming up today.
"I didn't pack them ALL away, just enough! Come ON!"
"Lucas, don't rush me! If you want me out the damn door so badly, then find my fucking shoes!" Brooke stopped in her tracks, glared at the frustrated blonde in front of her, and put her hands resolutely on her hips.
"What shoes!?"
"Oh seriously, Luke, you're hopeless. Look, go out to the car, call Sarah and let her know you're running a couple minutes behind, and then call Jessica and tell her to go ahead and pull the houses in Tree Hill for me, alright? I've just got to find the damn shoes and then I'll be all set." Brooke ran a hand through her straightened hair, and sighed hard. Sometimes men were such babies.
He grumbled something about women and shoes and it wasn't like she had to impress anyone on his way out the door to do her bidding. Brooke shook her head, thought long and hard about where she'd put the thrice cursed bag when she'd gotten home from the boutique, and sprinted to the hall closet when it came back to her.
Ensemble complete, Brooke snagged her purse, left a note for Nathan and hurried to the car. She could see Lucas arguing with the driver, trying to get him to honk at her. Bless stoic drivers and their impeccable training.
"Finally! You're lucky Sarah and Jessica are so understanding!"
"No jerk, you're lucky I have such good contacts! Just shut up and sit back already, will ya?! Let's go Charlie, we're ready," Brooke said, nodding to the driver.
The driver chose wisely to keep his mouth shut and just drive, knowing full well that any comment he made would just exacerbate the situation even further. So he rolled up the privacy screen, turned on the radio, and just…drove.
Forty five minutes later Brooke walked through the door of Coast to Coast Realty and sat down at Jessica Darian's desk.
"Brooke! Glad you could make it! I was beginning to worry that we'd have to reschedule, yet again," the woman said. Jessica Darian was an older lady, in her fourties, with silver hair – she'd dyed it at the first sign of gray, claiming she'd rather get it over with than slowly descend into the world of the early bird specials and reading glasses. It also made her look more dignified…again, according to her – and brown eyes. Brooke knew better than to let the silver hair fool her though…Jessica could be a tiger when she went after something. Her current target? One Brooke Davis, fashion designer. Uh oh.
"I'm so sorry Jess. I know you're mad that I cancelled the last one, but I just ran out of time! And Lucas! He hid my shoes on me!" Okay, so maybe that wasn't complete truth, but it got the job done.
"Now now, Brooke, that's not what your damn fine boyfriend said," Jessica winked, knowing full well she'd caught Brooke flat out. When she hammered and hawed, Jessica laughed lightly and waved her hand, dismissing it all.
"Let's get down to business. I know you said you wanted to live in Tree Hill, but I've found some really gorgeous houses on the outskirts-"
"No. I want to live in town. Near my friends and family. They're the whole reason I'm even going back. What good would the move do me if I didn't live near them?"
"Weeeel, alright, I guess if you're adamant." Jessica couldn't understand the aversion, it was just a few more miles…well, alright, maybe more like a couple dozen, but same diff, right??
"I am. I want to be in town. Did you have any luck looking up that one address I gave you?"
"I researched the listing and it's currently owned by an elderly lady. She said she would consider selling if the price was right."
"Really? How much is she wanting?" Brooke leaned forward, eagerly. Could it be possible?
"I personally think it's rather exorbitant, but it's not unreasonable for the property. You're already pre-approved for the loan amount, so if you really want the house that bad, we can do it."
"Done. I want that house. You'll handle the paperwork and negotiations and whatnot?"
"Absolutely. You're positive though, right? You're sure this is what you want?"
Brooke sat back in her chair and thought long and hard about what she was doing. There were tons of houses in Tree Hill she'd looked at after she'd made the decision to move back home. Shit, there were some she'd fallen in love with on the first walk through. Sitting there though, thinking about how she was going home to a place from her past to start her future, it just felt right.
Brooke looked up and met her realtor's eyes, nodding emphatically. Jessica sighed, shuffled some papers, and then returned the nod.
"Alright. I'll have the papers drawn up for you by Friday. What a way to start the week, eh Brooke?"
She just smiled in response.
-
Half way across town Lucas stepped onto that same hectic, buzzing floor and was ushered back to that same calm quiet office lined with books.
"Hey Sarah, sorry I'm late," Lucas offered as an apology, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shuffling forward to sit in one of the chairs.
His editor – that still sounded weird to him, he'd never thought he'd actually have an editor, let alone meet with one face to face – sat behind her desk, fingers steepled beneath her chin. Slate grey eyes stared back at him, and for a split second Lucas felt like he was back in high school, and squirmed in his seat.
"Luke, I think your adorable, I love your book, I love your writing. But this is our last meeting before you go back to Tree Hill, and it's imperative that we get things lined out," she said in a deathly quiet voice.
"I know, really I do." Lucas squirmed again, not really wanting to meet his editor's eyes, but unable to avoid it.
Sarah muttered something under her breath, shuffled a stack of papers, opened and closed a drawer, and then magically produced the manuscript he'd given to her at their first meeting.
"Alright. Seriously, I've read and re-read your novel. And it's damn good. I've got a couple minor changes – more like linguistic suggestions to help draw the reader more firmly into certain sections – and some questions about where you're headed in other areas. I wasn't planning on this meeting being really long anyways, so you're off the hook."
Lucas groaned in relief and sat straighter in his chair. He had been terrified he'd crossed the line with his editor. Having not done the research himself – something that left him on shaky ground, not a thrilling prospect for him – he wasn't entirely certain what an editor expected from a potential author. All told, the few run ins he'd had with Sarah since Brooke had introduced them had gone really, really well.
"Brooke and I aren't leaving until Saturday, are you sure we don't have to meet again before then?"
"Nope. We can do the rest via snail mail and chats over the phone. We've gotten the really important stuff out of the way."
Lucas picked up the bound stack of papers that Sarah pushed across to him, relishing in the feel of having his book back in his hands. He'd poured his heart and soul into that book, struggled with every word he'd typed, stressed over whether or not he'd crossed the line from private to public or not gone far enough to make it worth while. That book was as much a part of him as any blood relative.
"So, basically, go over your changes and suggestions, make it all work and send it back to you?" Again, he'd not done the research, he didn't know how this whole thing was supposed to work.
"Just send back the parts that you edit. Be sure to mark the pages so I know where in the story they fall though. I've already made a copy of the manuscript so I can pick up anything else I need from my set."
"Wow, so it's just like that?"
"For now it is. When I feel that we've got a manuscript ready for publication and printing things will get considerably more complicated. But for now, yes, it's just like that." She grinned lightly. Ah, the enthusiasm of youth.
"Don't I need to sign a contract or something? Get my work copyrighted? Or is what I signed at our last meeting supposed to handle all that?" The last meeting with Sarah had left Lucas feeling like he'd just sat the bar exam and failed miserably. He'd damn near called Brooke and asked if she could recommend a decent lawyer who translated legalese into basic English, but his pride kept his fingers from dialing her number. He was a smart boy, right? He should have been able to make it through a damn meeting with some piddly contracts.
"Yep, those contracts last time covered all that. Don't worry, I wont screw you over. Your girlfriend's one feisty lady Lucas. No one would dare cross her, and messing with her man would most definitely be construed as crossing Brooke Davis. You're covered. I've had copies of the contracts prepared and will have them couriered over to Brooke's house."
He chuckled at the thought that the red head – a fiery personality in her own right – was intimidated by his diminutive girl friend. Not that she couldn't quell a man twice her size with one well placed eye brow and a glare from her warm hazel eyes. She was the queen of the killer looks, he should know, he'd been on the receiving end enough times to know he'd never wanted to walk down that road again.
"I'll email you with our new contact information once we get settled in Tree Hill. Thanks again Sarah, for everything." He meant it too. Every damn word of it.
"It's been my pleasure Luke. I'm serious when I say your book's going to hit it big. You've got a true talent there and the book is quite the attention grabber. I'm excited to see your book hit the shelves. I know this will be a lucrative partnership for the both of us."
Sarah stood and shook Lucas' hand when he did the same. They both smiled and for a split second Lucas entertained the idea of giving her a hug, but then thought better of it. Why tempt fate? Knowing his luck, she'd take offense and cancel everything.
"Good luck with the move, and you be sure to take good care of our girl, Luke. She's a fragile one for all that she's got a hell of a bite. She needs someone to look after her and love her."
"I will. She's all I've ever wanted. I swear she's safe with me," and Lucas meant it in every way possible. He'd spend the rest of his life making it up to the woman who'd saved his life.
-
"Hey Broody!" Brooke waltzed into the café they'd agreed to meet at after the meetings and planted a big kiss on Lucas' lips. She did so love kissing him. It always left her feeling a little breathless and really giddy.
"Hey yourself Pretty Girl. How'd your meeting go?" Now that he'd a couple minutes to relax and wasn't freaking out that they'd be late for the last set of meetings they were to have in New York before the move, he was able to take in the delicious sight of his girl friend.
She was gorgeous. There was a serene, happy glow about her, which was in complete contradiction to the satisfied smirk gracing her lips. She looked pleased with herself, which, depending on how good a boy he'd been lately, could be both good and bad for him.
"It went really well. I think I found us a place to live in Tree Hill. I wont know for sure for another couple of days, but I have a good feeling about it."
"Really? Where?"
"I want to keep it a secret until we get back home. That okay?"
"Brooke!" He was whining, and he knew it. But he didn't like secrets or surprises. Well, maybe he did, but this was a pretty big secret to keep. He'd hoped he'd get at least some say in the house they were going to move into.
"Please Broody? I promise, if it pulls through, you won't be disappointed!" Well, at least I hope not, Brooke silently added.
"I don't know Brooke…that's a pretty big secret to keep."
"I know, but trust me. Look, I'll make ya a deal. I wont sign anything permanent until I show you the house. But I don't really want to tell you about it until I know it's even possible. Would that be okay?"
It hadn't occurred to her until she'd sat down across from Lucas that she might have over stepped her bounds with the house. She'd been so excited with the idea of buying a house in the first place that she'd forgotten it shouldn't have been just her decision.
Lucas watched as the smile fell from Brooke's lips, to be replaced with a frown.
"Hey, it's alright, don't worry babe. I'm sure you've picked out an awesome place, and I'll be happy with the house. Shit, as long as you're in it, we could live in a shack for all I care." He reached out and placed a hand on her thigh, rubbing the pad of his thumb in circles over the thin blue jean material.
"You sure Luke? I mean, it wasn't really fair of me to pick out a house and make that decision without you. I'm sorry."
"I'm positive. No need to apologize. As long as I get to go to sleep with you in my arms and wake up the same way, I'm fine with whatever house you pick out. Not like you don't have excellent taste. You did choose me after all, right?" He smirked back and joked, trying to bring that smile back to her face. He didn't like seeing his cheery girl so sad.
"You're so amazing Lucas. I don't know how I ever got lucky enough to have your love," and she meant every word of it. She smiled again, not the satisfied smirk from before, but the loving one she only gave her sexy man.
"Same way I got lucky enough to have your love. We're meant for each other. I told you I was the guy for you."
"And I'm the girl for you." Out came the dimples, making Lucas' day infinitely brighter.
"Damn skippy Pretty Girl. You hungry?"
At her nod, they turned their attention to the menus and ordered their meals. They talked about lighter subjects while they ate, taking comfort from just being together. Things had been so hectic since they'd arrived in the city. Between the packing, the meetings, and working, time alone had turned into a precious commodity.
"You ready to go back home yet?" Lucas watched as Brooke sipped on her drink, knowing full well she was contemplating his question and shifting through the answers she wanted to give.
"Yes and no. I'm ready to be done with all this transition shit and just get home. But at the same time, I'm terrified of starting out on my own again. I'd just finally found a niche here in New York and was settling down for what I felt was good, and now it's all being up rooted again. I think the only thing that is keeping me from stopping this whole escapade is the fact that I'm going home, with you. If it were any place else, with any one else, I would have applied the brakes the first week."
Brooke hadn't really voiced those thoughts to Lucas before, and she was some what worried to find out what his reaction was going to be. They'd stopped arguing about the whole mess, true, but she knew Lucas hadn't quite gotten over his trepidations about the move. He'd just switched from arguing with her to voicing his concerns to Nathan.
"You know I said I'd stay here with you if that's what you wanted." That was all he going to say about it. He'd remained tight lipped about the whole thing, and even though he'd tons of other things he could think of saying, he really didn't want to start an argument in the middle of the café. He didn't need, nor want, the public exposure.
"I know Lucas, and I really appreciate that you're willing to give up home for me. But I need this. I've felt lost for a while. Going home is the first thing that's felt one hundred percent right in a long long time. I'm just a little sad is all. But hell, I think I'd be more worried and concerned if I didn't feel just a little bit sad over it all. Wouldn't you?"
He conceded the point and moved the conversation to safer topics. Nathan had managed to convince him everything was going to be alright, and Brooke hadn't wavered in her resolution to see the move through. If she was confident, then so was he. Or at least that's what he told himself.
After they'd gotten back in the car and were on the way home Brooke brought up the book meeting. She'd been waiting for him to say something, but the topic hadn't come up so far. She was slightly worried, the last time she'd talked to Sarah she'd been told it was all going quite well.
"Everything with Sarah go okay? You haven't even mentioned it yet."
"Oh, yeah, sorry. It went really well. She said she was going to have a copy of the contracts I signed last time sent over, and that we could do the rest via teleconference."
"That's awesome! I'm glad things are going so well with her."
"Me too. Did I ever say thanks for setting me up with her?" He wrapped a long toned arm around Brooke's shoulders and pulled her in tight. He loved how she fit so perfectly against him.
"Actually, come to think of it, a couple dozen times, yeah." She smiled lovingly up at him and snuggled closer into his warmth. Moments like these made her wish she'd developed the ability to freeze time.
AN2: I'm sorry if this ends abruptly, but it was either stop here or tack on another five pages of text, and it was already long enough. Don't worry though, folks, chapter 22 is following close behind. It's already written, just needs a few minor tweaks before posting. Expect it today! Leave me some love in the form of a review, it makes my day hearing from y'all! Hope it was a good read! xo Z