Chapter 26

"This is so annoying!"

"Brooke, calm down. You can't be freaking out in this condition."

Brooke glared at him and she was pretty sure that her eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets at Lucas' words. Something told her he was going to be much more protective of her during the next seven months than she could handle.

"I will freak out if I want to, Lucas Scott," she spat out. "And let me tell you something, I can walk just fine on my own. You don't need to be helping me every single second of the day."

Lucas looked at her exasperatedly and she glared at him again. She was currently lying on the couch in her house, a down blanket wrapped around her like she was in some sort of cocoon and a pile of magazines were spread across her lap.

This is what it had been like for the past three days since she had returned from the hospital. It had been bad enough that she had had to stay an extra two days at the hospital, but when she had actually been released they had strictly ordered her on bed rest for the next month, until she reached the end of her first trimester.

And she hated it more than she hated anything in her entire life. It had been the most boring seventy-two hours of her life and she still had to go through exactly twenty-one more days of this. That thought alone was enough to make her want to throw something.

She couldn't do anything. She could work on her sketches, make a few phone calls (non work related at Lucas' insisting), watch TV, and read. That was all and for Brooke Davis that was hell. She knew that she needed to do this for the baby and she would do anything to protect it, but it still very frustrating. And she wasn't afraid to let people know that.

"Look," he said, his face softening, "just let me help you get you something from the kitchen. You shouldn't have to get it on your own."

Brooke's eye twitched. "Lucas, you barely let me go to the bathroom on my own. Can't I just take five steps into the kitchen and grab something from the fridge? It's really not a big deal."

Lucas sighed and threw his hands into the air in defeat. "Alright, I give up. Go ahead. But be quick."

Brooke clapped her hands together. "Thank God."

And then she twisted from her blanket and got up, refusing Lucas' hand to help her, and walked slowly over to the refrigerator, grabbed a slice of cold pizza and poured herself a drink before walking slowly back. It took all of a minute. It wasn't much, but it felt good to do on her own.

Taking her position back on the couch, she looked at Lucas triumphantly and started eating. Lucas sat on the other end of the couch and she perched her feet on his lap. She grinned at him as he gently rubbed her feet and he just shook his head and smiled.

Her mood swings had definitely been noticeable lately and she was pretty sure Lucas was only just starting to get accustomed to it. Ever since she had come home from the hospital her moods had shifted at the slightest things. She actually felt bad for Lucas, but at the same time she knew it was something guys had to deal with when they were dealing with pregnant women.

She looked around the living room, happy that she was in her own home. Lucas had insisted on taking her to his place after she left the hospital, but she didn't think it was a good idea. After all, all of her stuff was here and, after Lucas had told his mother about the pregnancy, Karen had announced that they would be coming home in a few months for good; she wanted to be here for the birth of her first grandchild. Lucas, who had bought his childhood home from his mother when she, Andy, and Lily had gone out to sail the world, was strongly considering selling it back to them, especially since his house wasn't as big as he would have liked for a growing family. Brooke had told him that was a good idea—that Karen should raise Lily in the home she raised him in—and then offered to let him move into her place when they moved back. And, although, nothing was official, it looked like Karen would be buying the place back and Lucas would move in with her.

But, three days after she left the hospital, Lucas was already practically living with her and, although he wasn't officially moved in, most of his stuff was here and he spent the night every night so far since she had come home.

Peyton hadn't been around much since Brooke came home and she couldn't blame her. Even though Peyton had told her everything was good between them, she was still having a tough time adjusting to the two of them together, especially now that Lucas was practically living with them. She's been mostly sleeping over at Josh and the guys' apartment the past couple of days, claiming that she still needed a little time to deal with all of the news.

In between days at the recording studio, Peyton had also been spending time with Jake, who had decided to stay in town an extra few days before he headed home to Savannah. Brooke didn't have much of an idea of what was going on between the two of them, but she did know that it looked like Jake might be moving to Raleigh, which was only a couple hours from Tree Hill and a lot closer than where he was living now. And that could only be good for him and Peyton.

Brooke sighed as she finished her pizza and then fell back onto the couch, pulling the blanket over her and staring blankly at the TV, where a boring show she'd never bothered watching before was on. It was getting later in the day and, after spending the whole day doing nothing, she was restless. Lucas' hands massaged her feet and she relaxed at the soothing feeling.

The ringing of Brooke's cell phone sounded throughout the room and Lucas sprung up before Brooke could bat an eyelash. Her phone was an arms width away on the coffee table but he didn't give her time to reach it before he got there first.

"It's Peyton," he said, handing her the phone.

Brooke smiled and grabbed it eagerly. "P. Sawyer, I was just thinking about you."

Peyton's quiet chuckle sounded over the line. "How've you been doing?"

"Oh, you know, I've been bored out of my mind. Nothing new. What've you been doing?"

"I've been doing some recording at the studio with the band."

"Peyton, you really need to come home and entertain me. I'm gonna go crazy of boredom if you don't."

Peyton laughed. "What, Lucas isn't entertaining enough for you?"

Brooke rolled her eyes. "To be honest, he's annoying the crap out of me." She laughed as Lucas playfully swatted her leg. "Really. Haley came over earlier with Jamie, but I need my best friend."

"Tell you what," Peyton said, "I'm meeting Jake for dinner, but I'll come over tonight afterwards and we can hang out."

Brooke kinked an eyebrow. "So, what's going on with Jake anyway?"

"Uh…" Peyton paused for a few seconds. "I don't really know, to be honest. We've been doing a lot of catching up mostly. He's leaving early tomorrow morning to go home, though."

"Did he end up getting that job?"

"I don't know yet. He promised to tell me when he found out, though, so I'll figure out eventually."

"Interesting…well, I guess you can fill me in on everything tonight."

"I will. See you tonight, B. Davis."

Brooke hung up and looked over at Lucas. "You're gonna need to go to your place tonight."

He looked at her in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Peyton's coming over tonight," she said simply.

"And she doesn't want me here?"

"No." Brooke looked at him pointedly and sat up, leaning her back against the arm of the couch. "I don't want you here. Things will be kind of weird if you are and I really just want to spend some quality time with Peyton."

Lucas didn't look convinced. "Brooke—."

"Lucas, this is not optional. Besides, you need some rest. You've been going nonstop the last few days."

"Fine," Lucas said grudgingly, "if that's what you want. I know better than to argue with you by now."

"Good boy," Brooke said, patting his knee and smiling at him.

He just shook his head and chuckled, taking the hand that she had rested on his knee and stringing his fingers through hers.

"Brooke, I know that you think I'm being overprotective of you, but I just can't stand the thought of something happening to you or our baby. And you know I'll do anything to keep that from happening, even if it means I'll be very annoying in the process."

She smiled at him gratefully. "I know you just want the best for me, but you've got to know that I understand that I have to be careful too. I know I'm stubborn and don't like to be helped but I still understand that I have to be helped right now. It's just that occasionally I'd like to do a few things by myself."

"Well," he said, grinning, "then I'll just have to let you."

She leaned in closer to him and softly kissed his lips. "Thanks."

Peyton walked along the boardwalk with Jake, a comfortable bout of silence taking over them. They had just had dinner at one of Jake's favorite restaurants in Tree Hill and where now heading back to her car.

It felt so good to be next to him again, something that Peyton knew would have to end again soon. He was leaving tomorrow and, even though he'd only been in Tree Hill for a little less than a week, she felt like her life would be completely different without him in it.

"Let's sit," Jake said stopping suddenly and sitting down on at a table that overlooked the harbor. She looked at him curiously and sat across from him.

"I've got to confess something," he said, leaning forward on the table and looking at her guiltily.

"Yeah?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

He smiled. "I haven't been staying in Tree Hill this past week just to hang out with you."

She crinkled her eyebrows in confusion, not sure how to take that statement. "Okay…"

"Not that I didn't want to hang out with you," he quickly defended, "I just had some business stuff to deal with that I haven't told you about."

"Oh." She was still very confused. "So what business stuff exactly?"

"Well," he said, looking thoughtful as he stared down at his hands, "ever since I came back here everything has just felt…right. I don't really know how to explain it, but all I know was that the moment I stepped back in Tree Hill I just felt like it was where I was supposed to be. And then I ran into you and I knew what I was feeling was right. So I started looking for jobs around here."

She felt excitement growing in the pit of her stomach. "Jake, that's great!"

"Yeah," he said, frowning slightly, "except I couldn't find anything. Not anything that I could do that would provide for me and Jenny, anyway."

"Oh." Her excitement died down a little. "Well, what about Raleigh?"

"I got the job."

"That's great, Jake!" She smiled widely in encouragement, but he didn't look too happy.

"Yeah, I guess it is. But, Peyton, it's two hours away."

"And that's a lot closer to here than Savannah," she said, trying to make him see some sense. She was happy that he wanted to move back to Tree Hill, but she didn't want him to give up a great job in Raleigh. "It's a start, right? You can come here and visit all the time and I can come and visit all the time. And eventually you can maybe find something here and move back. Jake, I really don't think you should give this job up. From what you've been telling me, it's sounds like a great opportunity."

"I know, I just…" He trailed off and looked over at the water, and then, a second later, he turned to her seriously. "I know this might sound weird, but ever since we met up again I've realized that I need you in my life, whether it be as a friend or something else. It doesn't matter what we are— I just need you. I let you go once and I won't do it again. And Jenny… She wants to know you, Peyton."

"Jake…" She tried to interrupt but he went on.

"I want you in Jenny's life. I really want you to be involved. You know, I tell her about you all the time. If she saw you standing right here she would know who you are. I show her pictures of us back when she was still so little all the time and I showed her every one of the few emails we sent each other over the years." He laughed a little to himself. "She loves to draw, Peyton. I'm not even sure how it happened, but somehow I know it came from you. And I just…I want her to know you."

He fell silent and she found herself overwhelmed by his words. She was both amazed and honored that Jake told Jenny about her, that Jenny wants to know her, and that she knows about her and Jake's past. It was amazing that after all these years, Jake still held onto her, even though she barely made the effort to contact him over the years.

And that makes her feel horrible, too—horrible because she hasn't seen Jenny since she was in high school and horrible because she's barely talked to Jake except in an occasional email in just as long. Now, sitting here in front of him in this moment, she knew that that would never happen again. She would never leave him again.

"I need both of you in my life too," Peyton said, reaching across the table and taking his hand. "And I don't think you can understand how sorry I am that I haven't been there for you and for Jenny. I thought about you all the time during these past few years, but I was always so lost in the idea of me and Lucas that I put you and her to the side of my mind and made Lucas my main priority. But, Jake, I can promise that won't happen again."

He nodded, a sweet smile on his face. "I know that, Peyton, and I trust you." He paused for a second. "I'm going to take the job in Raleigh, but it won't be permanent."

Peyton nodded. "Sounds like a great plan to me."

They stood up and Jake held out his hand. She smiled as she took it and they walked slowly towards their destination.

"Jake?" she asked as they stepped into her car.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath, not really sure how to word her question. "So…where does this leave us? I mean, are we friends or…more?"

He smiled, his eyes piercing right into hers. "I don't know, I think we've still got a lot to deal with, but…I'd say we're somewhere in between."

"Do I really have to go?" he asked, pouting slightly. Her back was pressed against his chest as they lay on their sides on the couch. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, pulling her close to him to keep her from falling onto the floor.

Brooke just laughed and nodded her head. "Yup. Sorry, buddy."

He groaned, digging his face into her hair. She pulled herself out of his arms and sat on the edge of the couch. His hands moved to the back of her shirt and slipped underneath it. She turned around quickly and playfully swatted it away.

"Not now, Lucas. Peyton's gonna be here in five minutes. Now," she pulled at his hands, "unless you want me to lift you up, and you know that I will try, you're gonna have to get up yourself and leave."

He dug his face into the pillow. "I don't want to leave."

She rolled her eyes. "Get used to it, Lucas, because you are."

He didn't budge and, as she heard the lock to the front door click, she knew that Lucas leaving before Peyton got here was now officially not going to happen. She glared down at him in annoyance, but she knew it was pointless since she was pretty sure he was about to fall asleep.

"Hey, guys," Peyton said cheerfully as she opened the door. Lucas raised his hand as if to wave, but didn't move from his position on the couch.

"He's being obnoxious," Brooke said, shaking her head as she stared at Lucas. "I told him he needs to leave, but he won't move. And now he's falling asleep on my couch."

Peyton chuckled and sat down in the chair across from Brooke. "Well, he's been doing a lot lately. I bet he's all tuckered out, poor guy."

She grinned at Peyton mischievously, an idea forming in her mind. "Hmm, I wonder if I got up…" She stood up. "And ran over to the stairs..." She stomped on the ground while Peyton held back a laugh. His head flew up from the pillow and he reflexively grabbed her wrist, blinking up at her in confusion.

"Brooke, don't do that to me."

"Looks, like you're up!" she said. "Now you've got to go like you promised. Go sleep in your own bed where you can be comfortable and snore all you want."

"I don't snore."

"Yeah you do," Brooke and Peyton both said and then they all laughed.

"Fine, but it's not that bad."

He stood up, stretching his arms, and then looked down at Brooke. "Alright, I'll go snore in my own house. But I'll be over tomorrow."

He moved his head down to hers and placed a kiss on her cheek. Brooke looked away from them both uncertainly; she still wasn't very comfortable with the idea of flaunting her and Lucas in front of Peyton. Peyton didn't seem to mind, though; she just smiled at Lucas as he headed towards the door.

"You ladies have fun."

The moment he left, Brooke turned to Peyton expectantly. "So, you and Jake? How'd it go?"

Peyton sighed happily and looked down at her hands, a small smile on her face. "It went good. He got the job in Raleigh."

Brooke smiled. "That's great. Any progression with the Jeyton romance?"

Peyton chuckled softly. "I guess so…We've kind of established that we're friends, but at the same time we're a little bit more. As he said, we're kind of in between. What I mean to say is that we're going to be moving slowly, but we're not ruling out a romantic relationship."

"Hmm…And what does Josh think about this? Does he know the story behind Jake?"

"Josh and I are just friends. Nothing more. He's an amazing guy, but he's not…"

"Jake?"

Peyton smiled weakly at her. "Yeah. As bad as it sounds, he's not. Jake and I have a lot of history and now that he's back I don't think I'll be able to let go."

Brooke nodded. She knew what Peyton meant. It was how she felt about Lucas. Even after years apart, the moment they were back in each other's arms they knew that there was no one else— no one could ever make them feel that way. Brooke knew that Peyton and Jake, friends or more, must feel the same way and she couldn't blame Peyton for not being able to see Josh as anything more than a friend when Jake was around.

"But," Peyton said, jumping up from her seat and sitting on the couch next to Brooke, "enough about my love life. You and I have some serious hanging out to do."

Brooke just laughed. "We sure do."

A/N: Hey everyone! I thought we needed a nice dose of Brucas fluff since we haven't been getting any on the show. On that note, I actually liked last night's episode (although seven episodes with NO Brucas interaction is just wrong—I'm just hoping there's a reason behind their non-existant friendship). Peyton, who I've hated the past two seasons, was actually likable and all of the LP scenes were pretty bearable and actually pretty funny. I loved that Peyton mentioned that the BL tattoos! But I have discovered that I hate Owen/Browen. I used to kind of like him (but not with Brooke) but now I just think he's a jerk. I don't even know exactly why, but last night's episode made me really dislike him. I think it's because the writers are trying too hard make Brucas fans like Browen, but it's really pointless because Owen never can replace Brucas. It's too ridiculous to even think about. I'm just hoping he won't last too much longer, even if he and Brooke get together. Anyway…I'll stop rambling and move on to the next topic :D.

I just thought I'd let you all know that, if you haven't seen it already, I have a new story up. It's a one-shot, with a possibility of maybe one more chapter, but it's something I'm pretty proud of and really wanted to share with you all. Please be sure to check it out…and maybe leave a review if you can ;D.

Thanks for reading and please remember to review!