"Here's to all the places we went. Here's to all the places we'll go. And here's to me saying again and again and again and again: I love you."

John Green

Lucas pushed her up against the wall, roughly. He kissed her hard, his want increasing the closer they got to the hotel room. When he pulled away and saw her rub the back of her head, he felt guilty, "You okay?" He asked, rubbing her arm.

Brooke didn't reply with words, but the seductive look in her eyes spoke volumes. She jumped forward, wrapping her legs around him and kissing him swiftly.

Lucas laughed and put his arms under her legs to hold her up. He carried her blindly in the direction he thought the room was in. He was too hypnotized by her smell and her touch that he couldn't focus on where he was going.

They were both drunk.

The banquet had gotten really boring really quick so they left and went to the hotel bar, where they had more than a few rounds with some locals they met. After a few hours, they left there too, both of them only having one thing on their mind.

In the elevator, they finally got their hands on each other. It felt like they were teenagers again, teenagers whose hormones were raging out of control. They kissed gently at first, but by the time they reached Brooke's floor, they were past that stage. It was needless to say they were both itching to get to the room.

But being drunk and kissing at the same time didn't exactly help them navigate. They passed the room more than once as they made their way through the maze of hallways. But finally, Brooke spotted her room number and pointed to it.

Lucas set her down and she pulled out her room key eagerly. It took a few moments to open it, but the moment it turned green, beeped and opened, Lucas pushed her inside and shut the door.

That night was the longest and best night of their lives.

Eventually, around 4 or 5 the next morning, they reached a point where neither of them could carry on just from sheer exhaustion.

Lucas leaned back, Brooke's head on his shoulder. He traced circles on her bare shoulder as they both laid there, eyes closed. "You're amazing, like…I can't even describe it." He said quietly.

Brooke smiled and rubbed his stomach, "You could try." She replied with a slight chuckle.

Lucas smirked and rolled his eyes, "It's just like…I don't know. I just I genuinely like you, Brooke. It's not like I just like you for the sex or because you're fun to hang out with…it's just you. If I was lost, I would go to you for help, if…if I was sad, I know you would cheer me up. It's like you balance me out and…I love that." He paused, "But don't get me wrong, you're fun to hang out with too…and the sex is…"

Brooke smiled to herself.

"Anyway," He began, sidestepping the sex thing, "you're just Brooke. I don't know how to describe it any other way. You're my best friend and my girlfriend and everything." He said, smiling slowly.

Brooke rubbed his chest, squeezing his hand tightly. After a moment of comfortable silence, she finally replied, "And the sex is…?" She asked, "You never finished."

Lucas laughed lightly, getting closer and closer to drifting off. "And I'm not going to finish." He smirked, "Don't want you to get cocky."

Brooke smiled, "Me? Cocky?"

Lucas smiled lightly at her banter, "Maybe cocky wasn't the best choice of word for this conversation…"

Brooke laughed and then tried again, truly curious, "But really, what about the sex? I won't get cocky…" She said, looking up at him, expectantly.

Lucas' eyes were closed, "I'm sleeping."

Brooke knew he was faking, but she was too exhausted to care anymore. "Fine, you're lucky I'm tired…" She said as she leaned back and closed her eyes, "I love you, Luke." She said softly as she squeezed his torso.

"Yea, I guess I love you too, pretty girl."

The next morning came way too fast for them. It seemed like it had only been five minutes when the sun came up and shined into their room. Both of them were bothered by the added light, but they didn't get up. They just tried to sleep through it.

And for a few hours, it worked.

But at about 1:00 that afternoon, there was a knock at their door.

They didn't move.

The visitor knocked again, this time harder.

"Don't get it." Brooke whispered.

They knocked again, a voice accompanying it, "Brooke Penelope Davis, you open this door right now. You will not sleep through this entire day. There is a fashion show in four days and you need approve some fabric."

Brooke shook her head, "Oh…what a joy." She said sarcastically as she climbed out of the bed, slipped one of the robes from the bathroom on and then walked to the door. "Hello mother, good morning to you too."

"Good afternoon, mind you." Victoria peered past Brooke into her room, "I see you had a fun night. Well, today, you have to work. It's 1:00 already, but all you have to do is approve the fabrics, approve the guest list and refit three of the models. Then you're done."

"What an easygoing day." Brooke said sarcastically.

Victoria nodded slowly, "Well, you need to be in the limo in 15 minutes looking your best." She said before turning around and starting to walk down the hall.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Do you even know what today is?"

Victoria stopped and turned back, "I know it's Christmas Eve. And I've planned accordingly. Angus and I are going to dinner." She said shortly, as if Brooke was supposed to know who that was.

"You and who are going to dinner?"

Victoria smirked, "Angus…this Greek man I met…" She smiled, "We really hit it off and…well, let's just say you two are the only ones who had a little fun last night." She said slowly before turning and walking away.

Brooke closed her eyes and shook her head before re-entering the room. "Well this morning has been more than disturbing." She said as she dug through some of her clothes, pulling out a short light brown dress. She slipped it on quickly before walking up to Lucas, "Zip me up?"

Lucas reached over and pulled her zipper up, "What was disturbing?" He asked.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Victoria…that woman." She shook her head as she walked into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair and then did her make up quickly. "She's talking like she's 22, but she's god, 40…now I think. She really needs to cool down." She said as she slipped her heels on.

Lucas laughed, "So you're saying that when you're 40, you're going to cool down too?"

Brooke looked back at him, understanding his point. She walked over and sat down in front of him, "Well, with you I definitely won't be able to." She said, leaning in for a kiss. It was warm and gentle, inviting.

Lucas proceeded to kiss her neck gently, just above her collar bone.

Brooke's spine tingled, "Luke…stop. I have to go." She said, twisting her body. She leaned in and kissed him again, "I'll be back later…what do you want to do? I mean, it's Christmas Eve. We could go to dinner or something…"

Lucas nodded, smiling up at her, "That sounds good."

Brooke smirked, "I'll think of something while I'm at work." She said as she pulled back and walked to the door.

"Don't forget about me while you're out in the real world." Lucas said, a cheeky smile on his face.

Brooke chuckled, "I have to. Or else I won't get any work done." She gave him a wink, "I'll see you later."

And then she left.

The next few hours that followed were some of the most boring hours she could have ever imagined. Maybe it was because she was itching to get back to Lucas. Or maybe it was because she was just sitting at a table, approving and denying ideas. She wasn't doing anything. She was sitting and looked and nodding.

It was boring.

By the time Victoria finally set her loose, it was around 5:30 that night. She went straight back to the hotel, an idea stuck in her mind. She barged into her room to find Lucas reading a book on her bed.

"Well hello there." She said, smiling. "Can I help you, sir? I wasn't aware that I was to have company…" She said alluringly.

Lucas played along, lowering his book. "So she didn't tell you I was coming?" He asked as he stood, "Those damn interns…see, I've heard a lot about you, Brooke Davis. And…well, I'd like to know a little bit more." He said as he brushed some hair behind her ear.

His touch sent chills down her spine, "Like what?"

Lucas leaned in really close, his voice barely a whisper, "Like what's under the clothes, Brooke Davis…?" He asked as he undid the top button of her shirt.

Brooke smirked, recognizing the line from what Owen had said a few months earlier. She liked the way Lucas used it better. She smiled up at him, "Take me to dinner and maybe you'll find out."

Lucas leaned forward and lifted her off the ground, "Or…" He said with a smile as he laid her in the bed, "We could find out right now." He said as he suspended himself over her.

Brooke smiled at his eagerness, "Okay." She said, breaking character, "It's not that I don't want to do this right now, because trust me, I do, it's just we have dinner plans…" She said, biting her lip.

Lucas tilted his head, "Dinner plans?"

Brooke smiled a little bit and nodded, "We're going to another banquet. This one is in the city, so it should be fun." She said, smirking. "So go to your room, get dressed, and come back. Wear something nice."

Lucas gave her a curious look as he got off of her, "Brooke Davis turning me down? I'm hurt." He said as he made his way to the doorway. "Wear something nice." He mocked her, smirking, "I'll be back, dressed so nice you won't be able to keep your hands off me."

Brooke rolled her eyes, her back to him. "Get out of here." She said as she turned around.

But Lucas was already gone.

Brooke took that time to get herself ready. She wore a strapless, long, deep blue dress that made her feel like a princess. It was silk and the shine of the material helped to define her curves in just the right way. She wore a black necklace around her neck and carried a white sash that draped over her shoulders and across her elbows to keep her warm in the cold.

She worked diligently to curl her hair before Lucas returned. When she was done, she pinned it all to one side with a shiny white barrette she bought in Italy.

Her shoes were from Italy too. Tall, glamorous black heels that matched her necklace with elegant dark straps that ran across her feet. But because her dress was so long, it blocked the heels from view.

She smiled as she looked in the mirror. It looked like she had just stepped out of a fantasy. She turned around and sat on the bed, waiting for Lucas. Within a few minutes, there was a knock at the door.

Brooke stood up, smoothed down her dress carefully, and pulled the door open.

Only, it wasn't Lucas.

Peyton stared through the doorway at Brooke, a dark look in her eyes, "Going somewhere?" She asked bitterly.

Brooke opened her mouth to reply, but Peyton cut her off.

"No, you know what? It doesn't matter." Peyton said bitterly, "I just came by to talk to Lucas and I…well, I heard he spent the night here." She said spitefully, obviously still angry at Brooke for what had happened a few days earlier.

Brooke didn't react to her tone, "What do you need Lucas for?" She asked.

Peyton didn't look like she wanted to tell her, but went along anyway, "He wrote a story that he asked me to read and I'm returning it." She held up the stack of papers that Brooke noticed for the first time.

Brooke looked at the papers, not replying. It hurt her a little bit that Lucas had given Peyton another one of his stories to read before he gave it to her. Didn't Lucas want to share that with her too? Or was it another one of those things that only he and Peyton could enjoy?

Peyton walked past Brooke, "He's not here?"

Brooke turned around, "No."

Peyton threw the manuscript on the bed, "Well, when he gets back, tell him I need to talk to him." She said as she walked past Brooke again, towards the door, "And Brooke?"

She turned again.

"Don't think that because Lucas and I are friends that anything is going to change between us." Peyton said, "Because what you did hurt me and…it's not fair that you always get the boy, it's not." She said before grabbing the doorknob and shutting the door.

Brooke didn't move.

The words replayed in her head. Nothing was going to change between them. What Brooke did hurt her. It wasn't fair that Brooke always got the boy. She tried to let it go, she really did, but with every passing second, she just got angrier and angrier until finally, she threw the door open and pursued her friend.

Peyton was just getting into the elevator when Brooke was walking up. She put her arm out and stopped the elevator doors from shutting, "You know what, Peyton?" She shook her head, "I tried to be civil with you. This time, I took the fall, I apologized, I did everything I was supposed to. And you could have let it go. You could have been a decent human being and let it go, but you decided to throw all of my mistakes back in my face."

Peyton opened her mouth to interrupt her, but Brooke held up her hand.

"No, you don't get to talk." Brooke said as she continued, "I know I hurt you. Yea, I slept with JT and I slept with Nathan. I admit to doing both of those things, but both times, you weren't even going out with them and I was drunk, okay? What you and Lucas did was worse. I was dating him and you cheated, you lied and not once did you even consider my feelings. And then later, you did it again. You didn't learn and you didn't care." She tried to find words, "Or at least that's how I felt."

Peyton stared at her, ready to speak, but not sure if it was her turn yet or not.

Brooke blinked tears from her eyes, "I'm done."

Peyton took in a deep breath, "Brooke, this isn't healthy. Friends aren't supposed to do these things to each other, don't you get that? I know I was wrong with Lucas before, but that was high school and I've changed, but you…you haven't." She gulped, "We're supposed to trust each other and be there for each other, but you betrayed me."

"Don't do that." Brooke said, shaking her head, "Don't pull that 'you haven't changed' speech on me. You know, more than anyone, what kind of hell I've been through these last four years to make sure that I don't end up as the same person I was in high school." Her voice cracked, "I've worked so hard to become somebody and just because I still make mistakes doesn't mean that I didn't change."

Peyton shook her head, "Whatever."

"No, not whatever." Brooke cut in again, annoyed by Peyton's philosophy. "You think what I did is hurting you. You have no idea what junior and senior year were like for me. And you know what? That's the reason I changed. You and Lucas are the reason I am who I am today. You're the reason I'm so closed off, you're the reason I'm so scared to let people in." She argued, "You said it's not fair that I get the boy, well I think it is. I think I deserve to get the boy because in high school, I never did."

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Stop playing the victim." She scoffed, "Maybe you cried, maybe we hurt you, maybe you were lonely, all that stuff, but the world never stopped loving you, Brooke." She shook her head, "You'll always find someone to love you, it's not the same for the rest of us."

Brooke shook her head, "That doesn't make what you did okay."

"Well it doesn't matter anymore, it was 4 years ago."

Brooke stared at Peyton, meeting her eyes. "It matters to me."

Peyton stared back, her own eyes just as serious. "Well, this matters to me too."

"Why?" Brooke asked, truly baffled, "Why does this matter so much to you? You only met JT like a month ago, why is this such a big deal?"

"Because I didn't meet you a month ago, Brooke." Peyton said, shaking her head, "We've known each other since we were little and we're supposed to be best friends. We're supposed to consider our friends feelings, like you said. And I just feel like you didn't. I feel like it doesn't matter to you that you stepped over a boundary…"

Brooke gulped and ran her fingers through her hair, calming down a little bit, "I'm sorry, Peyton. What else do you want from me? I've said I'm sorry so many times, but it's not good enough. What do I have to do to fix this?"

Peyton shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, "I want your apologies to mean something." She said, "Right now, you're just trying to make this go away. I want you to apologize because you're sorry, not because you want me to forgive you."

"Peyton…"

Peyton pressed the close doors button on the elevator, "Save it." She said coldly.

Brooke pulled her arm away and watched as the elevator doors slid closed in front of her. She let out a deep breath and then turned, starting to walk back to her room, deciding to leave the conversation with Peyton behind her and have a good night.

She took in a deep breath to calm herself as she walked back to her hotel room. As she turned the corner to walk down the hallway her room was one, she saw Lucas standing outside, fully dressed in a suit and tie.

Lucas looked up and saw her, "Wow." He said as he walked up, meeting her halfway down the hall, "You look like a million bucks, Brooke Davis." He said, grinning down at her as he embraced her in a hug.

"You think so?" Brooke asked as they pulled away from each other.

Lucas rubbed her arms with a smile, "You look gorgeous." He said with a nod as he stepped back, "And what do you think of this? Do you think I look good enough to be seen with you?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Definitely." Brooke said, reaching over and straightening his tie, "We look like we belong on the front cover of a magazine." She said with a smile as she patted his chest, "Let me grab my wallet really quick and then we can go." She moved past him and opened the room, walking inside.

He followed, sensing something off about her, "What's wrong?" He asked as he walked up behind her, "You seem kind of…" He trailed off, spotting his manuscript lying on her bed.

Brooke turned around, blocking his view, "It's nothing…" She said, looking down at her small bag, "Peyton and I just went off on each other in the hallway about…everything." She said, shaking her head.

Lucas nodded slowly and brushed some hair out of her face, "She's just mad right now, I think it will blow over eventually." He said, rubbing her cheek, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Brooke said, looking down at the ground.

Lucas smiled and nodded, reaching out and lifting her chin so that she was looking at him, "Well then cheer up." He said, eyes bright, "It's Christmas Eve, we're in Greece, we're in love and it sounded like you had some really good plans for us tonight so let's forget about Peyton and JT and party, how does that sound?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Brooke cracked a smile, "Sounds like something I would say."

"Exactly." Lucas kissed her cheek and took her hand, pulling her out of the hotel room and towards the elevator, "So where are we going? I know Athens, but where?" He asked curiously.

Brooke bit her lip as they stepped in the elevator, "You'll see."

They rode the elevator down to the lobby and then got into the car that was waiting out front for them. It drove them down to the city and pulled over, letting them out on a crowded sidewalk.

"This is it." Brooke said, looking up at the large palace-looking mansion building. She started walking up to the door, where there was a security guard waiting outside with a list, "Okay…" She said, slowing down, "There's something you should know."

Lucas looked up towards the palace, leaning over, "What?"

"We weren't invited to this party." Brooke explained, "I heard it was going to be the party of the century, but it's invite-only and…well, I figured we could sneak in…" She said, looking over at him.

Lucas gulped, "Brooke…" He said, uneasily as they got closer to the front door.

"Just follow my lead." She said as they walked up the steps to the large, grandiose front door.

They could hear the music playing loudly inside and the sound of voices, people laughing, talking and carrying on. But blocking their entry inside was a security guard, holding a list.

When they walked up, the security guard looked up and spoke a few words in Greek.

"English?" Brooke asked, finding that a lot of times in foreign countries, they knew English as a second language.

The man looked at them, "Names and identification…"

Brooke looked from the security guard to Lucas and then back again, "Oh no…" She said, her voice cracking, "Lucas, didn't you lose our ID's at the hotel?" She asked, tears in her eyes.

Lucas gave her a curious look, "Yes…?"

Brooke looked at the security guard, "We…we're not from here. We're newlyweds and we decided to come to Greece for our honeymoon. We have some friends in town and they invited us to this party and…we lost our ID's at the hotel yesterday. This honeymoon, it's just…it's been a disaster and it's Christmas Eve and…" She rambled.

While she was doing that, Lucas was peering over the edge of the clipboard. He was able to skim a few names. He memorized the first pair that didn't have a check by it.

The security guard's eyes were glued to her, his sympathy evident, "It's alright ma'am, just give me your names."

Brooke stopped, about to come up with something else, when Lucas interrupted her, "Marcy and Jacob Wentz." He said with a nod.

The security guard looked down at the list and checked them off, "Go ahead in." He said, nodding towards the door, "And congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you." Brooke said, grabbing Lucas' hand and making her way inside. She pushed the door open and looked back at him as they walked in, "Oh my god." She grinned, eyes wide. "I can't believe we actually pulled that off."

Lucas shook his head, "This is so wrong." He said, looking around at the large party happening around them. To his left, there was a room full of tables where people were sitting and drinking. To his right, was another room with tables and drinking and karaoke. He could only imagine what was happening upstairs. Through the back windows, he could see a pool and a deck where people were laughing and drinking.

It reminded him the descriptions from The Great Gatsby, honestly.

"Don't think about it." Brooke said, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the left. "Let's get a drink." She said with a smile as they walked up to the bar.

The next few hours were the some of the best of their life. They made friends with a couple at one of their tables and a few singles at other tables throughout the night. They even got up for one round of karaoke, singing a duet version of Piano Man by Billy Joel.

Eventually, both drunk and feeling energized and happy, they ended up dancing in one of the rooms. A song was playing loudly from somewhere, in a language that they didn't understand, but along with all of the other guests, they danced.

"God, I love you." Lucas said over the music.

Brooke smiled at him and patted his chest, "I love you too." She said, wrapping her arms around him, "And this party…" She looked around, letting out an awesome sigh, "I can't think of anyone else I would rather be here with." She smiled.

Lucas put his hands on her waist and looked up. There was a large clock on the wall that he had seen a few hours earlier. He squinted to read the time. It was 12:43. He looked down at her, "Merry Christmas, Brooke." He smiled.

Brooke met his eyes, "Merry Christmas." She said, leaning up and pressing her lips to his.

When they pulled away, Lucas embraced her, "And what is it that you want for Christmas?" He asked, looking into her eyes, "Name it and you'll have it." He said, looking around.

Brooke grabbed his time and leaned in, "I think I have something in mind." She whispered in his ear, "How about we get out of here?" She asked, pulling back at little bit.

Lucas' eyes lit up, "You got it." He said, taking her hand and weaving through the crowd of people until they found their way to the front door. Together, they pushed it open, walked down the front steps and then made their way down the streets of Athens. They walked for a few minutes until Lucas hailed a cab for them.

It drove them back to the hotel, but by the time they got back, they were both exhausted. The buzz was starting to wear off and they were both just starting to get extremely tired. They made their way up to the room, but when they got there, they just put their PJs on and climbed into bed.

Lucas put his arm around her as they settled in, "I'm sorry this wasn't what you had in mind." He said, rubbing her back.

Brooke didn't open her eyes as she answered, arms wrapped around him, "Are you kidding?" She asked, "I couldn't imagine anything better." She smiled, "You're kind of amazing, Lucas Scott."

"Yea?" He closed his eyes, "You're kind of amazing too, Brooke Davis."

"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

A/N: And we're back. Sorry this Christmas chapter is a little bit late, hopefully it doesn't matter. I hope everyone likes this chapter, it took a long time to write. Don't forget to review and thanks so much for reading!