Author's note: I own nothing. Flashbacks will be in italics.

"Ms Davis," the brunette looked up from her desk to see her assistant standing in the doorway.

"Yes Celina?"

"Well," she hesitated, "there is a call for Brooke."

"Who is calling," Victoria asked.

"It's Peyton Jagielski, again."

"I'm unavailable," Brooke spoke up looking at Celina from near the window of her mother's Manhattan office, "don't bother taking a message."

"Yes ma'am," the timid young woman said walking out of the office.

"Darling, you can't keep doing this," Victoria said as Brooke took a seat on the couch near the window. "I love having you here, Brooke, but it's been two days, your friends are worried about you dear."

"Mother," Brooke sighed. She knew Victoria was right. It had been two days since she decided to leave Tree Hill. Two days since she lost everything she ever wanted, what was there to talk about really?

"Brooke Davis you need to talk to your friends, you need to talk to Lucas."

"There is nothing to say," Brooke nearly whispered. The truth was she didn't want to relive her past. She didn't want to go over the horrible details of losing a baby when she was in high school, the details of her heartbreak caused by her former best friend and the love of her life. She just wanted to forget about Tree Hill and all the damn drama that came from the little town.

"How long will you be here for than?"

"What," she asked confused.

"Well, if you are not going back to Tree Hill we need to send someone there to close up your office," Victoria said, "we will leave the store, but there is no sense in having an office there for you if you refuse to go back. I think this is absurd, but what do I know," Victoria mumbled the last part.

"There is nothing for me to go back to," Brooke said.

"Are you sure you won't come stay with us," Haley asked as she stood to leave.

"I'm fine," Brooke said as she wiped her eyes. It had been less than twenty four hours since she sat at the hospital and had to relive her high school miscarriage in front of Lucas. She hadn't spoken to him since.

"He will get over this, he loves you Brooke."

"I don't know Haley, this was pretty big, and you didn't see how he looked at me," Brooke said as she looked down at her hand. The hand that just twenty four hours ago had an engagement ring on it.

"Hey," Haley said as she noticed Brooke looking at her hand, "he just didn't want the ring to get misplaced by the hospital, you know it means a lot to him."

"Haley, I love you for trying to make me feel better," Brooke said, "but we both know the truth."

"I know that you and Lucas love each other, Brook, and you guys will work this out."

"Where is he then? Haley, he doesn't want to talk to me or see me that's what he said right before I went in to surgery. How am I supposed to think that this will be ok?"

"He just needs time."

"Eight years," Brooke said, "that's how long I have had to live with this and it isn't any easier to accept."

"He will forgive you, he will understand, Brooke, you two have two much not to overcome this."

"There's nothing left Haley," Brooke said as she dried her eyes.

"What about Haley and her family, or Millicent, Brooke, they are there and they are your friends. Don't let this boy make you give up your life because of him." Brooke was immediately taken back to that night in New York, the night Lucas found out Ravens was getting published. She had said that night Lucas Scott was the one boy she might have lost everything for, and now she was. She lost her baby, Lucas and now she felt like she was losing everything else. She couldn't go back there, she couldn't see him every day and the way he would look at her. That was worse than giving up her friends, that look on his face when he found out about their baby, that look nearly killed her.

Haley was just laying Grace down for a nap when she heard a knock at the door. She walked towards her kitchen and found her friend.

"Hey girlie," Haley said as she opened the door for Peyton.

"Hey," Peyton said as she walked in holding a sleeping Jackson. "Have you talked to her?"

"No," Haley said as Peyton sat Jackson's car seat down, "she hasn't called me since she left yesterday."

"And Luke?"

"He's angry," she said as they sat at the table together, "and I get it Peyton, I do, but he loves her. I don't know why they can't work this out."

"That's two babies," Peyton said in a saddened tone, "two children that Lucas would have."

"I know," Haley said. She knew how much Lucas wanted to be a father, how much he wanted to be able to have a child look at him the way Jamie looked at Nathan.

"I just wish she would've told us then, you know, maybe things would've been different."

"How Peyton? Would Lucas have felt guilty or bad enough that he would have stayed with Brooke? Would you not have told her that you loved Lucas and she didn't? I mean there was so much crap going on then that she didn't want him to know. She didn't want to turn him into Dan!"

"I'm sorry," Peyton said.

"I'm sorry Peyton," she said, "it's hard for me because I was there with her when that happened and it hurts to see her like this. She loves Lucas and I know she wants to be with him, and I know he loves her to."

"I wish I could take it all away, you know. Take away all the crap I caused back in high school. I wasn't a good friend to her and I know that. I can't undo the past though," she sighed.

"No, you can't, but we can try to be there for both of them now," she said.

"Do you think she's coming back this time," Peyton asked.

"I hope so."

"Me too. "

"Haley," Nathan called as he walked in the kitchen.

"Hey you," she said as she turned to hug him, "how is he."

"He's a jackass," Nathan said with a laugh, Haley shot him an annoyed look, "hey Jagielski."

"Nathan," Peyton said as she watched her one time boyfriend and his wife embrace. She felt like a terrible person for the things she had done and said in her past, but there was no way of undoing any of it. There was no way she could go back and tell the seventeen year old version of herself not to screw her best friend over and break her heart.

"Nathan, he's your brother."

"I know that Hales, but he's still a jackass. I mean can't he stop thinking about himself for a minute and think about Brooke? The girl he just proposed to?"

"Nathan, put yourself in his place," Haley said trying to get her husband to see his brothers point of view.

"Haley, I would be hurt, but no offense Peyton, what did he expect Brooke to do back then? He was screwing around with her best friend, for what was it the second time? I mean really, look at it from Brooke's point of view. I mean what if she told him she was pregnant," Nathan said angrily, "I get a niece or nephew growing up with Dan and Deb all over again? Because that's what she thought would happen."

"I know Nathan, I was there with her too," Haley said.

"I'm sorry, but Lucas can't make it out that Brooke is this bad person for all of it, again no offense," he said as he looked at Peyton, "but you two were screwing around behind her back and you told her she didn't really love him."

"I know," was all Peyton could say. Nathan's rant couldn't make her feel any worse than she already did. She knew she hadn't been a great friend, but up until two days ago when she found out about the miscarriage she didn't know how bad it had been.

"Where is he anyway," Haley asked. Lucas had the left the hospital that night and they hadn't seen him since. They had driven by his house, but he wasn't there. She had tried calling him, but he wasn't answering her calls. It really did surprise her that he had answered Nathan's call today.

"I don't know Hales, he didn't say. He just he needed a few days to get his head together," Nathan said, "and he said for you to quit feeling bad."

"Easy for him to say," she said, "did you tell him she left?"

"Yeah, I did. I told him she went back to New York. He didn't say anything, so I don't know what's going to happen."

"People who are meant to be always find their way in the end," Haley said as Nathan kissed the top of head.

Brooke was sitting in Victoria's office with a sketch book. She had been sketching designs for her men's line. Victoria had left for a meeting nearly two hours ago. The day was drawing to an end, it was after four. Brooke loved the city, this view was amazing, that's why it was her office when she lived in the city. She hadn't put much thought in to coming back, where she would stay, where she would work. She just knew she couldn't be in Tree Hill anymore. She couldn't face Lucas and see that look in his eyes. There were too many memories there.

She was looking out in to the city thinking about all of it when her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw "Haley" flash across it. She couldn't talk to her best friend so she let it go to voice mail. She felt bad because Nathan and Haley were in the middle, so she thought it would be better to not answer. Then as if on queue a text appeared.

Hey Brooke, call me. We're worried about you. Jamie and Grace miss you. Love you Tigger.

She couldn't help but smile. Haley truly was her best friend. She often wondered how she managed the first seventeen years of her life without Haley James Scott. There was a light tap at the door, she let out a sigh.

"Celina, I'm not taking any calls today," Brooke said without turning around. She heard someone walking towards her and turned to face them, "take a message plea…."

"Brooke," he said as she turned to look at him.