Hi guys! Long time no see... lol... I know it's my fault, but I had so much work, you wouldn't believe it! I really hope that everyone will enjoy this chapter (once again- it's a pretty long one) and I would definitely be grateful to hear your thoughts about it, so I could see that you guys are still into this story! ;-) BTW- I want to take this chance to say happy birthday to kempokarate12! I know that this is a REALLY belated birthday wish, but I still mean it, hun! I really hope that you and everyone else will like this chapter! ;-)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

Chapter 25

It was dark. An eerily dark night. She was in the woods, frantically running in-between the large trees that towered above her and knotted in front of her, blocking her way. Her feet got tangled in branches and bushes, but she continued running for her life, trying to find a way out. Her breathing had grown rugged as her lungs suffocated from her exerting effort, but she just kept going, not knowing where her feet were leading her, but realizing that she just had to continue, or else…

The visions before her were a blur, just a haze of shadows and dark shapes, but her feet seemed to magically know the path that would lead her out of this haunted forest. She could feel herself growing short of breath, but she pushed herself to keep going, until one clear sight made her heart drop and caused her to freeze in the middle of the way.

It was him. The man who had hurt her twice, who had been haunting her for weeks, was standing right before her, grinning at her viciously and rubbing his hands in content.

"No… No!" she screamed, unwilling to allow him to keep terrorizing her, but her shaky feet, which had led her through the dark woods so faithfully, now failed her and kept her pinned to where she was standing.

"Get away!" she shouted with fright, watching her attacker in terror as he laughed to himself and advanced towards her.

"You asked for this, Brooke" she was suddenly shocked to see her mother appear from the darkness and stand in back of the huge man that was coming towards her, watching her with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Stop! Get away from me!" Brooke pleaded as her attacker almost reached her, his strong, dirty hands stretching towards her neck, threatening to strangle her once again.

"Help! Please, help me!" Brooke begged whoever would be able to hear her, realizing that she was useless against this large man's force. She squeezed her eyes shut, fearfully anticipating the feeling of the this evil man's strong grasp fastening around her neck, when she could suddenly feel a gentle, yet firm hand starting to shake her body.

"Brooke! Brooke!" she was beyond relieved to hear Lucas' familiar voice, which allowed her to feel some safety in the midst of all the terror that had overcome her.

"Luke… help me…" she begged, keeping her eyes shut and body curled up in fear of finding out how close her attacker had managed to grow towards her.

"Brooke… Brooke…" Lucas' comforting voice called for her again as his hands shook her some more, "Wake up…"

Upon hearing Lucas' declaration that she had only been dreaming, Brooke managed to snap out of her nightmare and spring to a sitting position, clutching her blanket and trembling due to the affect of the disturbing images and sounds that attacked her in her sleep.

"Hey… You're O.K. now…" Lucas had immediately risen to a sitting position as well, pulling her shuddering body against his chest and running his hand along her side. He watched Brooke as she caught her breath, which had been racing due to the extreme fear her dream had planted in her heart, and began to rub her back in comforting motions when she finally fell against his chest and began to cry quietly.

It had been a routine for the past week, ever since Brooke had been attacked for the second time. She would be awakened every night by nightmares and would then cry herself back to sleep in Lucas' arms. Her days were slightly better, though not by much; she would nervously scurry around the house, jumping in fright at the smallest of sounds and starting to cry all of a sudden, without any warning at all. She refused to sketch, she ate very little and she didn't speak much, not only due to the still-existent bruising on her neck.

She had insisted on staying at her house, much to Nathan and Haley's dismay, but had agreed to let Lucas move in with her, as his presence did help her feel safer and had been truly grateful that he didn't even ask and automatically came to her bedroom every night, just to hold her in her sleep. Brooke knew that she would have never been able to ask him for that, but feeling his strong arms wrapped around her as the night brought along the darkness was the only thing that had made it possible for Brooke to get any sleep at all. She didn't even tell him that, but it was actually the only thing she would take comfort in at all those days…

As Lucas currently looked at the damaged porcelain doll that was breaking in his arms, he sighed heavily and pulled her slightly closer to his body, whispering sweet nothings into her ears just so she would stop crying. Even though this had been going on for a whole week, even though he had held her like that for seven nights in a row, it still managed to break his heart. He was also getting more and more worried, as nothing he had tried to do for her seemed to help Brooke get better. He had tried distracting her from the frightening thoughts about her attack by sitting her down to watch a romantic comedy she liked, but much to his horror, she had burst out crying and fled upstairs after twenty minutes. He had cooked her chocolate-chip pancakes- her favorite food in the world, but she just mumbled that she wasn't hungry and then walked up to her room. He had watched Haley, Nathan, Rachel and even Owen trying to reach out to her, but she either asked to be left alone or, in the better case- distantly sat next to them, biting onto her lower lip and wrapping her arms around herself as they spoke and she either remained silent or at times- slightly cried. Lucas had even taken her to a psychologist despite her wishes, as he didn't know what else to do, but the woman of profession told him that throughout their entire session, Brooke simply sat on the sofa and stared into space without saying a word or responding to anything she had said to her. He was officially desperate, but as he had promised Brooke and himself, he was going to stick by Brooke's side and somehow get her through this tough time.

When Brooke's strangled sobs finally turned into exhausted whimpers, Lucas took a deep breath, knowing that she would wear herself out and fall asleep soon. He hated to see her crying herself to sleep, but he knew that at least then she would be so tired that she would sleep until the morning.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Luke…" Lucas could suddenly hear Brooke's small, sleepy voice whispering out in a mumble.

"It's O.K., baby… Get back to sleep…" he replied, kissing her forehead and wiping the wet trails of tears away from her face. He wrapped one hand tighter around her and soothingly stroked her body with the other, watching her quietly until her breaths finally evened out and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Feeling Brooke's body calmly moving against his with her soft, steady breaths started lolling Lucas back to sleep as well. Just when he felt his eyelids, which had been growing heavy, starting to droop over his eyes, he could hazily spot a red-headed figure carefully tiptoeing towards the entrance of Brooke's bedroom.

"Hey Rache…" Lucas scratchily whispered, trying to keep his voice calm and quiet, so the girl in his arms wouldn't wake up and so the girl facing him wouldn't become more alarmed than she already seemed to be.

"Is she alright?" Rachel worriedly asked, her voice hesitant and careful due to her growing concern towards her traumatized friend.

"She had a nightmare, but she's asleep again" Lucas honestly replied, his arms subconsciously wrapping around Brooke's body slightly tighter, in a protective manner. His tired blue eyes got caught in Rachel's concerned gaze and they both sighed. The two of them had an unspoken understanding not to allow Brooke to be left alone. She was with Rachel during the mornings and afternoons, when Lucas would go to train his grieving team, with Lucas at night, when she couldn't sleep without being held, and with them both during the rest of the day, in addition to Nathan and Haley, who came every day, whenever they could. Brooke was truly surrounded by all those who loved her the most, but this attack had pushed her so far that it seemed to all of them that no matter what they did, she still remained so detached that it was as if she was struggling against everything all alone.

As Rachel looked at her best friend, who was currently sleeping so angelically, she reminded Rachel of a fragile, innocent child, tears started welling in her eyes. This worriless image of her friend was so far away from the brutal, painful reality, in which Brooke's world was shattered completely, in which Brooke had not only lost her innocence long ago, but had also suffered from so much heartache that it was actually only possible for her to seem peaceful when she was sleeping, that Rachel truly felt like crying.

"We have to do something, Lucas" Rachel said, trying to push back her tears and eliminate the shakiness of her voice in order to sound strong, "She's not getting better and I just can't see her like this anymore…" she sighed heavily, sounding so sad that Lucas immediately replied.

"Hey… I know that it's tough right now, but things will get better, Rachel" he soothingly whispered, glancing briefly at the girl he was cradling in his arms and making sure that she was sleeping soundly before he continued, "Brooke will be back to herself soon and I promise you that I'm not going anywhere until we get her back, O.K.?" Lucas softly reassured, kissing Brooke's temple calmingly as she shifted against him in her sleep and soon settled back into the safety of his arms, "Right, pretty girl?" he mumbled to the sleeping girl as he stared at her with affection, not even aware of the meaningful old nickname that had just slipped out of his lips.

As Rachel took in the sight of the duo and the perfect way in which they fit in each other's arms, she suddenly realized something, "You still love her, don't you?" she quietly asked Lucas, not as an accusation or as an angry declaration, but more like a newly formed understanding. It was such an unexpected question, however, that Lucas remained silent and shocked for several seconds before a verbal response rolled out of his mouth.

"I'm gonna be there for her no matter what, and right now all she needs is a good friend, so that's all that I am at the moment" he gave her the rational answer he knew was the appropriate one to give, yet the more he thought about it, the more it became clear to him that the true response to Rachel's question was yes. Even though he would never act upon his feelings towards Brooke when she was in such a vulnerable state, he now realized that ever since he had returned to Tree Hill, the eternally existent affection he felt towards Brooke Davis turned into something deeper.

"Just be careful, Lucas" Rachel warned, not buying his oral response at all, "her heart is shattered as it is…" she added sadly, her eyes moving from Lucas' heartbroken gaze and over to her best friend's sleeping form. She sorrowfully watched her for several moments before silently walking back to her bedroom, leaving Brooke in the care of Lucas. She just hoped that she was right to believe that he could help Brooke get better and she just prayed that she was right to trust him around Brooke and around the scattered pieces of Brooke's crushed and damaged heart…

"Clothes Over Bros' Sales Drop Due to Management Changes, Enabling 'Tiffany's Closet' to Profit: Ted Smith, Co-Manager of 'Tiffany's Closet' Says- 'Without Brooke Davis' designs- Clothes over Bros' won't be able to even wish to compete with our new, fresh spring line'"

"Shit" Rachel threw the newspaper she was reading onto the table with frustration after reading the discouraging headline regarding Brooke's company. Her outburst had broken the tranquil silence that had spread throughout the house that afternoon, when Lucas had joined Nathan and had gone to practice with the team and Haley came over for a quiet visit, but Rachel just couldn't help herself. With everything she was dealing with already, Rachel knew that Brooke couldn't handle learning that her company was in trouble and that her store's greatest fashion rival- Tiffany's Closet was actually benefiting from the situation. For once, she was actually grateful that Brooke had refused to come downstairs with her and Haley and had insisted on remaining in her room, as right now it enabled her to hide the newspaper, so Brooke wouldn't be able to see the disturbing article in it.

"What are you doing, Rachel?" Haley, who just came back downstairs after checking on Brooke, asked in confusion as she watched Rachel stuffing the newspaper into one of the pockets of her jacket.

"More bad news…" Rachel sighed as she pulled the newspaper back out and handed it over to Haley, "Why am I not even surprised?" she pondered out loud, realizing how much they had all dealt with those past few weeks to be in a situation in which they were actually expecting something to go wrong.

"Oh my god… This is bad…" Haley commented after briefly scanning through the article, "If Brooke sees this, she'll lose it…" she worriedly said, giving Rachel the newspaper back and allowing her to safely bury it away in the inner pouch of her coat.

"If Brooke sees this, she'll be even more convinced that Victoria is the one behind her attack…" Rachel agreed and added, sharing Haley's concern. In the week that had gone by since her attack, Brooke's attacker had been repeatedly interrogated by the police officers, but had refused to admit that Victoria had been the one who had sent him to harm Brooke. He couldn't argue with the evidence that convicted him of being the attacker, as the security guards at Tric declared that they had seen him in action and moreover- the club's security tape clearly filmed him strangling Brooke, yet the police hadn't been able to prove that Victoria Davis was behind this attack yet. Even though she had been questioned several times, she repeatedly insisted that she had nothing to do with her daughter being physically harmed, and the police could therefore only give her a restraining order that prevented her from coming near Brooke, but had no choice but to release her. Even though Brooke continued telling her friends that she was certain that Victoria had been the one to instruct the goon who had assaulted her, Rachel could see that the police's inability to convict Victoria was giving Brooke slight hope that maybe it wasn't Victoria's fault after all. Therefore, she understood that if Brooke would learn that the company was in trouble and that Victoria was probably under a lot of pressure to prevent the possibility of Brooke's return to it, she would lose the little hope that she was secretly clinging to.

"We can't let her see this right now…" Haley decided and Rachel nodded in agreement, knowing that Brooke needed to get stronger before they could possibly break the upsetting news to her. She was just about to verbally express her consent with Haley, when they both suddenly heard someone ringing the doorbell, a sound that was followed by a crash originating from upstairs. The two girls glanced at each other briefly, alarm evident in both of their eyes, and then quickly nodded at each other in understanding and each went her own way- Rachel fleeing upstairs to check on Brooke and Haley walking over to the front door, to see who was the unexpected visitor.

"Who is it?" Haley made sure to ask before opening the door, suddenly remembering that just one week before, there had been a man who had been watching every move Brooke had made.

"It's George from Clothes over Bros' board of directors" came the reassuring reply, which caused Haley to let out a breath she didn't even realize that she had been holding "May I come in?" he politely asked, only now making Haley realize that he was still standing behind a closed door.

"Of course…" Haley said, quickly opening up the door for the man and stepping aside, so he could enter the house.

"Please- sit down…" Haley gestured towards the sofa in the living room and politely offered, receiving a thankful nod from George, who smiled at her kindness, yet remained standing.

"I'm fine, thank you" he told her, "I would like to talk to Brooke, if it's possible", he said, his voice maintaining its natural pleasant warmth, even though he had cut to the chase so quickly.

"Actually, now isn't such a good time" Haley awkwardly replied, looking at him with apologetic eyes, "Brooke has a lot on her plate right now… I'm sure you've heard…" she explained, trying to be as subtle as she could about Brooke's concerning condition. She was worried that George had come to tell Brooke about the sales deficit that Clothes over Bros' had sustained, and therefore felt the need to protect Brooke and stop him. Knowing that the man held such a powerful position in Brooke's company, however, caused her to paint a milder picture of things, as she most certainly didn't want to cause Brooke to lose her company altogether because of her.

"Unfortunately I did…" George replied, bowing his head sadly for a moment as he acknowledged the fact, "Look- I'm not here to make things hard on Brooke. I was actually thinking that getting back to work might distract her from everything that had happened…" he made his offer open, causing Haley to raise an eyebrow skeptically.

"I don't really think that what Brooke needs right now is to be around Victoria" she said straightforwardly, not caring what the outcome of her words would be as she had been around Brooke and she knew for a fact that being in the same room with Victoria Davis was something that her friend was definitely not capable of doing at the moment.

"I know…" much to her surprise, George had actually agreed with her, his voice etched with slight defeat as he admitted this fact.

"Oh?" Haley stared at him in confusion, not understanding how he could want Brooke to return to work if he agreed with her on the fact that Brooke couldn't cooperate with her mother with the way things were.

"Look- you seem like a truly good friend of Brooke's, but I'd really rather discuss the business matters with her…" George gently said, not wanting to insult Haley, but preferring to leave the company matters with those who they concerned. "I can understand that now is not an appropriate time, but will you please tell her to give me a call and schedule a meeting with me sometime during this weekend?" he asked and immediately added, "I will be staying in the Tree Hill Inn for the next few days. She knows my number and any time would be alright for her to call."

"Of course, George" Haley smiled, sounding truly relieved, "Thank you for understanding…" she added, genuinely grateful that he seemed to be honestly considerate of Brooke and was giving them time to prepare her for the conversation with him.

"Of course" he replied with a small smile, turning around and finding his way out.

Haley took a deep breath, closing her eyes and rubbing them wearily. Things were spiraling more and more out of control, that Haley could barely keep up with them. With the headache she was getting just from trying to figure out what George had up his sleeve, Haley could only imagine what Brooke was experiencing by being in the center of all this mess.

Suddenly remembering that she had heard a crash originating from Brooke's bedroom just before George had entered the house, Haley quickly started making her way upstairs, truly hoping that Brooke hadn't hurt herself, on top of everything that was already going on.

"Brooke? Is everything O.K. with you, sweetie?" Haley couldn't help herself and asked even before she had made it all the way upstairs, yet arrived at Brooke's room before she received an answer. As the lack of response had made her truly concerned, Haley was truly relieved to find Brooke sitting on her bed with Rachel all on in piece, seemingly alright, once she reached Brooke's doorstep.

"Hey, honey- I heard a crash- did anything happen?" Haley tried again as she walked towards Brooke, hoping that she would be more keen on responding once she was facing her.

"I fell off the bed…" she quietly mumbled, her eyes lost in space, causing Haley's eyes to widen.

"Brooke…" Haley gasped worriedly, quickly checking Brooke with her eyes to assess the damage.

"I'm fine, Haley" Brooke distantly replied and shrugged, and indeed Haley was comforted to find no visible bruising on Brooke rather than the healing, week-old contusions on her neck.

"Listen, Brooke…" once she was confident enough that Brooke was truly fine, Haley tried to start easing the news of George's visit on Brooke, yet before she could go any further, Brooke had cut into her speech.

"Who was at the door?" she nervously questioned, her eyes finally coming up to look at Haley and her raspy voice louder than before and filled with fear, uncertainty and rising panic.

"It was George from your company, sweetie" Haley was quick to respond once she observed how tense Brooke seemed to be becoming. As she saw the puzzlement in her friend's hazel eyes, she sighed and quickly grabbed a chair and sat down, facing Brooke. She grabbed Brooke's hand in hers, giving it a supportive squeeze and glanced at Rachel's confused face for a moment, before starting to speak.

"George came here to talk to you, Brooke. He said that he'll be in town for a few days and will wait for you to call him when you can" Haley explained, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on Brooke's palm in an attempt to help her remain calm.

"What does he want?" Brooke asked in a small, shaky voice, looking away from Haley as she started feeling her uncertainty and vulnerability starting to creep up on her again.

"Honey- I think he wants you to come back to work for the company…" Haley gently revealed, causing Brooke's shocked, frightened eyes to fly up from the floor over to her own eyes, and Rachel to exclaim in disapproval.

"Is this guy completely out of his mind or what?! She's been through hell because of this company only one week ago and he's expecting her to come back whenever he snaps his fingers like nothing has happened??" Rachel questioned in anger and astonishment, unable to believe her ears.

"I can't do this…" Brooke suddenly rose from her spot and tensely said, panic already rising in her voice. Pacing back and forth across the room and looking away from her friends, she shakily continued, "I'm sorry for being weak, Haley, but I just can't pretend to be O.K. about going back to work with the same person who…"

"Hey…" Haley stopped Brooke before she could go any further. Rising up and coming over to her, she also halted Brooke's frantic strides throughout the room by gently grabbing onto Brooke's arms and forcing her to stay put in one spot, "You are not weak, Brooke Davis, and you most certainly have nothing to apologize for. Do you understand?"

"Haley…" Brooke awkwardly said, her eyes not shamefully glued to the floor, refraining from meeting Haley's gaze.

"I understand that you're not ready to face Victoria yet, but from the sounds of it- I think that George might be willing to let go of Victoria for your sake, Brooke…" Haley told her distressed friend what she inferred from George's confusing words, trying to reassure her, but not succeeding in unnerving her.

"I don't know, Haley… I…" it was so clear that Brooke was uncomfortable, that Haley immediately cut her off.

"Listen, Brooke- nobody is forcing you to do anything, but at least give him a call and hear him out" Haley suggested, truly believing that this was what Brooke needed to do, "I know how much you love this company, Brooke, and maybe this is your chance to regain control over it" she pointed out, causing Brooke to fall into a pensive silence and Rachel to frown with displeasure.

"Haley, can I talk to you for a moment?" Rachel asked, not even waiting for Haley's response before pulling the shorter girl out of Brooke's room, leaving their friend standing where she had been placed, lost in her thoughts. As soon as the two of them were out of Brooke's hearing range, Rachel let go of Haley's arm and stared at her with anger and confusion, "What do you think you're doing?" she heatedly whispered through gritted teeth, not wanting Brooke to hear them, yet feeling like she needed to tell Haley off for bringing up a suggestion that managed to upset Brooke so much.

"What?" Haley asked. She had realized that Brooke was liable to have mixed emotions about her declaration, yet was truly starting to think that if they would be by her side, Brooke might be able to take this leap forward.

"She's not even eating like a normal, healthy person yet and you expect her to be able to handle an entire company again?" Rachel made sure to remind Haley of the gravity of the situation, causing her to sadly sigh before she spoke.

"What if only when she'll regain her appetite for sketching, she'll be able to regain her appetite for food…" Haley pointed out, effectively silencing Rachel for a moment.

"I hope you're right about this" Rachel finally replied in a warning manner, after quietly thinking for a moment. She was desperate to see Brooke finally getting better so she was willing to let Haley do whatever she thought could improve her friend's condition, yet if this act would eventually cause Brooke to become even worse, she was definitely planning on blaming Haley for it.

"So do I…" Haley quietly mumbled as the two of them made their way back to Brooke. She was aware that pushing Brooke back to work was a risk and she truly hoped that it would be worth it, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if this move would only cause Brooke more pain.

Once Rachel and Haley arrived back at Brooke's bedroom, they were surprised to find her finishing a conversation on her cell-phone- the first one she had had since the attack at Tric.

"Brooke?" Rachel looked at her questioningly as she approached her, followed by Haley, who was just as inquisitive.

"I called George" Brooke quietly replied, looking at Rachel with her beautiful, vulnerable hazel eyes and continuing to speak in a slightly shaky voice, "I think I'm gonna try to do this…"

"Sweetie, are you sure?" Rachel looked deeply into Brooke's orbs and questioned, wanting to be certain that Brooke wasn't stressing herself too much with the decision she made.

"Sure about what?" the three girls suddenly heard a masculine voice coming from the entrance of the room. All three of them jumped in surprise before whirling to look towards the origin of the familiar voice and finding Lucas, who had slipped into the house without being noticed, standing by the door.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to frighten you…" he quickly apologized. Receiving understanding nods from all three girls, Lucas felt like he could go back to his original question, "Brooke- what's going on?"

"I'm going to have a meeting with George from my company tomorrow" Brooke revealed, trying to sound as confident as she could with her raspy, harmed voice. When Lucas just stared at her with concern and didn't say a word, the insecurity she had been trying to suppress became truly visible.

"Luke… Will you come with me, please?" she looked at him with her big, pleading eyes, to which he could never say no.

"Of course I will, Brooke… We'll do this together" he promised, pulling her into his arms, immediately causing her to feel like maybe things really could go back to normal in the end…

Brooke nervously tapped her fingers on top of her car's plastic door-handle, absentmindedly staring through the window. It was the day of her meeting with George, and even though her friends managed to make her feel confident about her decision, now that she and Lucas were about to reach George's hotel and have the actual meeting, she was starting to have second thoughts about it. She wanted to believe that returning to her company could truly help her soul heal from all the trauma she had suffered from, but she just didn't know if she would be able to be strong enough to handle everything again. It made her truly nervous to think that by trying to rush her return to Clothes over Bros' she was liable to ruin everything even more and she really felt like this crucial meeting was going to either make or break her.

Brooke was so caught up in her worries and insecurities, that she didn't even notice that Lucas had pulled over at the hotel's parking lot. Only when Lucas gently placed his hand over her fidgeting fingers, stopping their tense dance on the car's door, did she finally realize that they had arrived.

"What's on your mind, babe?" Lucas softly questioned and gave Brooke a reassuring smile as he started tracing soothing patterns on her small palm, which he held in his hand.

"Nothing… I just hope I'll do O.K...." Brooke replied, slightly breathlessly, quite evidently anxious and a bit frightened about the meeting she was about to attend.

"You'll do great, Brooke…" Lucas reassured her with a genuine grin, wanting to show her how much he believed in her. When she first told him that she wanted to see George, he had been concerned, but after seeing the evident improvement in her condition since the previous day- he was much more at ease and actually began to believe that this might be what would pull Brooke back up; since her phone call to George the previous day- she started eating more and was more communicative and open than on the other days since the second attack, she seemed to be more composed and less emotional and she had actually slept through the night, tossing and turning, but not waking up from any nightmares. As he looked at her at the moment- at this beautiful girl who was slightly pale and looked a bit vulnerable and scared, but seemed to be a slightly similar version of the Brooke Davis he was used to, Lucas felt like this might be the chance to get her back on her feet. Therefore, Lucas was truly hoping that if he would help Brooke be confident, she would be able to do well in the conversation with George and would then be able to slowly get back to being the happy, lively person that they all knew and loved. However, as he noticed the uncertain expression that was currently plastered on her face, Lucas realized that before he could afford to visualize the cheery Brooke he missed so dearly, he would need to work some more on helping her relax.

"What if I don't?" Brooke's shaky question proved to Lucas that he had read Brooke's expression correctly, "What am I doing, Luke? I don't know why I thought I could do this…" Brooke nervously said, her heart beginning to beat at a speedy pace as she began to truly panic.

"Hey, hey… Look at me, Brooke" Lucas shifted on his seat and carefully pulled Brooke so that they were facing one another. He gently cupped her cheek and brushed over it with his thumb, until Brooke hesitantly raised her eyes up to him, "You can do this, alright? You are strong and brilliant and so talented that George would be a fool to turn you down" he told her, smiling at her in an attempt to show her that he meant what he said, that she could do this, "This is your company, Brooke, and if you feel ready to get it back- I'll do whatever I can to help you" he told her, the confidence in his voice helping Brooke feel more at ease, enabling her to be sure of herself again.

"Thank you, Luke" she took a deep breath and said, forcing herself to give him a small smile. She was still tense, but with Lucas at her side, she felt like she had someone who would catch her, even if she would fall.

"I didn't even mention that with how beautiful you look right now, there is no chance that George will say no to anything you want…" Lucas attempted to lighten the mood and smiled as he saw that his joke had been successful and that Brooke was now genuinely laughing a bit. Truth be told, he had only been half kidding, as he truly thought that Brooke looked gorgeous with the simple red dress she had chosen to wear for the meeting and the light makeup she had applied in order to look less pale and more presentable.

"Come on…" Lucas smiled back at the small brunette who was facing him, now seeming to be much more in ease, "Let's rock this meeting!" he said, climbing out of his seat and circling the car to open the door up for Brooke and grab her hand. They were definitely in this together and no matter what would be the outcome of this business conversation- Lucas was certainly intending to have Brooke's back…

"Hi" Brooke's voice came out as such a soft, scratchy whisper, with such clear traces of the way the attack had taken its toll on it, that Lucas immediately put his hand on the small of Brooke's back for support. The two of them were standing in front of the entrance to George's hotel room, where they had agreed to meet, and despite the fact that the kind-looking man that they were facing was smiling at them calmingly, Lucas felt the need to let Brooke know that he was there, as he realized that the insecurity she projected was not the way she had wished to start her conversation with George.

"Hello, Brooke" much to her relief, George replied by giving her a genuine smile and seemed to be truly pleased to see her, choosing to disregard how she seemed to be uncharacteristically distant, "Hello to you too…" George politely greeted Lucas, "It's nice to meet you, mister…"

"Lucas Scott, I'm a friend of Brooke's" Lucas quickly stretched his hand forwards and shook the hand that George was offering him, "It's nice to meet you too, sir" he said, using the hand that George wasn't holding to stroke up and down Brooke's lower back, as if saying to her that they were doing good.

"No need to call me "sir", Lucas- "George" will do fine" George corrected Lucas in a friendly way, receiving an appreciating nod from the younger man, "And now both of you- please come in" he invited, and Lucas was beyond grateful that this man was so considerate of what Brooke seemed to need that he hadn't questioned Brooke's decision to have someone escorting her for this meeting. The two of them did as they were told and entered George's suite, Lucas' comforting touch only leaving Brooke once they were seated side by side at a comfortable distance- far enough so that Brooke could seem professional enough to handle a business meeting, but close enough so that Brooke could still feel safe with Lucas' comforting presence by her side.

"So Brooke…" George soon settled on a chair, facing Brooke and looking at her sincerely, "How have you been doing, dear?" he warmly questioned, looking at her with sheer care in his eyes. Even though he was very fond of Brooke, George would seldom refer to a colleague in an affectionate name of this sort, but this occasion was truly different. Not only was he old enough to be Brooke's father, but ever since he had first seen her in her store after the first attack had occurred- he had felt a sense of fatherly protectiveness over her, which only increased once he learned that not only did Brooke's mother not comfort and protect Brooke after she had been hurt, but had actually become the main suspect of the terrible crime.

George's kind way of treating her truly caught Brooke off guard and caused her to blink in surprise for a few times before being able to open her mouth and honestly say, "I'm getting better, George… I may not seem like what you're used to, but I'm really getting there…"

"I'm very glad to hear that, Brooke" George candidly replied, giving Brooke such a warm smile that she was finally able to feel slightly more at ease. She returned George's smile with one of her own, yet still couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive as she was still uncertain about what he wanted to tell her.

As if he was able to read her mind, George, who picked up on Brooke's well-hidden, yet existent hesitation, calmingly spoke, "Look, Brooke- I would certainly like you to know that I am not against you. I truly believe that this is your company, but having said that- my job is to do whatever is best for Clothes over Bros'" he said, pausing to look at Brooke with sincere eyes.

"Are you saying that Victoria is better for the company than me?" Brooke seriously asked, working hard to keep her voice strong and to mask the hurt that she was feeling.

"Not at all" George immediately replied, softening his voice and gaze as he realized that Brooke completely misunderstood him. "I actually hold the exact opposite belief, and just because of that I need to make sure that now would be the right time for you to return" George said, and upon seeing that Brooke was staring at him quietly, with perplexed eyes, took the liberty to elaborate, "Brooke, this company truly needs you, dear, and that is the precise reason why I can't risk stressing you out by forcing you to return before you're ready. I need to make sure that you're well enough before-"

"I'm ready" Brooke cut into his speech and declared, "If you don't believe me, you can take a look at Lucas- he's wearing the designs of my new clothing line, which will take Clothes over Bros' to the next level- the first designs from the Clothes for Bros' line" Brooke added, and even though her voice was soft and unhealthily scratchy, the determination and famous fighter's spark that her tone was suddenly refilled with were all that George needed. He silently looked at Lucas' clothes for several moments, a satisfied, impressed smile forming on his lips as he acknowledged Brooke's greatness, which didn't fail her even in a bad state such as the one she was experiencing. Moving his eyes back to Brooke, George finally spoke.

"Here's what we'll do, Brooke- I want you to take two weeks and put up the best presentation with the best designs you can come up with. In two weeks you'll secretly show the entire board what you've got and if all goes well- you will immediately and permanently regain your place as head of the company- meaning you'll be able to instantly replace Victoria if you wish, before she even knows that her place is at risk" he revealed, putting a grateful, relieved smile on Brooke's face as she realized that she wouldn't have to handle the unbearable experience of working with the woman that she believed had tried to harm her.

"I appreciate this, George. I will not disappoint you" she replied, trying to use the new strength she was suddenly filled with to push herself to remain as professional and composed as she could, even though she almost felt like crying from relief and happiness.

"You already have me on your side…" George revealed in a whisper, his tone losing any sense of distant professionalism and expressing nothing but a friendly, fatherly care that pinched Brooke's heart; If only her mother could care for her like that…

"Thank you" Brooke softly said, her emotions already evident in her voice. She rose from her chair and advanced towards George, followed closely by Lucas. Extending her hand towards the kind man, who had just given her so much hope back, Brooke was surprised when he took her hand, yet also covered it with his other hand, burying her palm in between his larger ones, as if trying to give her momentary fatherly protection. Truth be told, she already had to admit that this hadn't been the cold business talk she had dreaded, but more like a supportive conversation with a caring friend, yet George's simple gesture made that even more clear to her.

"I'll see you soon, Brooke. Take care…" George said to Brooke as he followed her and Lucas towards the entrance of the room.

"Bye George. Thank you again…" Brooke bid him goodbye with a genuine smile once she was out the door. As the two men beside her shook hands, Brooke couldn't help but feel her heart swell with bliss. It was as if she had gotten her life back in a moment, as if the hope she had needed in order to get better had just been returned to her. As she felt Lucas gently placing his hand on the small of her back as the two of them walked back to her car, Brooke's smile widened even more, bringing out her lovely dimples for the first time since she had been attacked at Tric. She felt so good and protected with Lucas, and he had been so patient, kind and good to her lately, that she couldn't help but be happy that he had been with her at this time, to share a happy moment and not only the many tough ones she had recently had.

"What are you smiling at, cheery?" Lucas questioned with a grin once they were back in the parking lot, stroking up and down Brooke's back affectionately in order to help her feel warm in the cool evening air. It felt so wonderful to finally be able to see Brooke content for a change, that Lucas immediately felt happy as well and upon seeing more and more traces of the girl he used to know returning to the broken one he had been comforting all week long, Lucas couldn't help but call her in the old nickname that suited her usual vivacious personality.

"I'm getting my company back, Luke…" Brooke replied as they reached her car and paused in front of it, her voice filled with shock and disbelief, as if she had just now started realizing what this meeting had truly meant. As Lucas rubbed up and down her back and chuckled happily, sharing her joy with her, Brooke felt her bliss overtaking her, as she truly acknowledged the fact, "I'm getting my company back!" she ecstatically shrieked, unable to contain the happiness that suddenly washed over her, causing Lucas to let out a wholehearted laugh.

Still controlled by this powerful wave of bliss, Brooke didn't even realize what she was doing until she suddenly found herself throwing herself into Lucas arms, crashing her lips against his with a kiss. Only after her mouth was already attached to his, her lips assaulting Lucas' ones, did her senses finally come back to her. She couldn't believe what she had just done, especially considering the fact that Lucas had refrained from kissing her back in the beginning, and was now only hesitantly kissing her back.

Abruptly pulling away from Lucas and putting a shaky hand on her swollen lips, Brooke looked at Lucas with wide, terrified eyes. He had been so good to her all this time and she felt like she had now crossed the line and ruined everything with this stupid, thoughtless move she had made. As she took in the silence and realized with how much shock Lucas seemed to be looking at her, Brooke felt her heart beginning to race in panic. She felt that in one moment in which she had lost control of her actions and thoughts, she had also managed to lose Lucas' friendship.

"I'm sorry, Luke…" she breathlessly mumbled, starting to back away from him as tears formed in her eyes. She whirled away from Lucas and started running in the direction that her legs had decided to take her. Just like in her dream, she had no idea where she was going and only knew that she had to get away. Just like in her dream, she suddenly found herself in an alarming nightmare, now in one that had meant that she had lost the one person who had made her feel completely safe lately. And just like in her dream- she prayed to be able to wake up, only now she couldn't…

AN: For all of you guys waiting for a Brucas kiss- I know that this isn't exactly what you wanted, but trust me- I will also bring back the romance soon... ;-) I really hope that this chapter was believable enough, as I know that Brooke went through a few phases in it... Please tell me what you felt. This is all until next time! ;-)