Chapter 36

Basketball was now back in session and for Lucas, this was one of his favorite times of the year. The second day of try outs had gone great and now, as Lucas played on the River Court, he found himself reveling in the one thing that he had always loved.

He didn't come here much anymore— mostly because he didn't have the time, but also because he couldn't play like he used to. But today had been a very long day and he had needed a bit of a break from the chaos that had seemed to be going on at home lately.

Thanks to his mother, Brooke was in full wedding planning mode. She'd already started making plans for her dress, which she would be making, and also the bride's maid dress, which she also wanted to design. They'd also started looking into where they wanted to have the ceremony, caterers, flowers, and all the other works. Thankfully, unlike with Lindsay and Peyton, Brooke had insisted that she pick out his tuxedo and he hadn't argued. That had been one of the things he hadn't been looking forward to. The wedding was still over eight months away and he thought it was a little unnecessary to get all this stuff done now, but both Brooke and his mom had insisted that it wasn't.

So now here he was, escaping the million questions from both Brooke and Karen, shooting hoops like old times. It felt good.

That is, until he heard the sound of an engine pulling up to the River Court and saw the familiar car parked a little ways away. His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Dan stepped out of his car, smiling at Lucas as he made his way over to him. It was pointless for Lucas to ignore his father now, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"How are you, Lucas?" Dan asked, his tone pleasurable.

Lucas sighed. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I saw you playing from the road and thought I'd stop by. Have you been playing a lot lately?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I've just been coaching mostly."

"How's that going?"

Dan had always been a lover of small talk, avoiding the real issue until he was forced to get into it. Lucas knew he was doing that right now.

"The season just started, so there's nothing to tell."

Dan nodded slowly. "I'm sure with you and Nathan coaching, they'll have a great year."

Lucas nodded, bending his knees with his eyes on the hoop, and made the shot effortlessly. "Yup…"

"So," Dan said, and now Lucas could hear determination in his voice; he was finally getting to the point, "when's my newest grandchild coming into the world? It's a girl right? She hasn't been born yet has she?"

Of course Dan would ask about his child. He had always wanted to be apart of Jamie's life, but after his and Lucas' last conversation, Lucas thought he made it pretty clear he wouldn't be involved with his own daughter's life.

Still, giving him a little information would probably sooth his curiosity for a little while and so he decided to give him just a little bit.

"Yeah, it's a girl. And no, she's not here yet. Brooke's got about six weeks left."

"Getting down to the wire," Dan said conversationally. "Are you worried?"

His eyes narrowed. "Worried? About what?"

"Becoming a father is a pretty huge deal, Lucas. It's normal to be anxious about it."

"I'm not really worried at all," Lucas answered honestly, making another shot. And he really wasn't that worried. Being a father had been something he had wanted for a long time now and as the time grew closer and closer to when he would actually get to be one, he only grew more excited. Except for the possibility of his daughter having HCM, anxiety hadn't been an issue so far.

Dan smiled. "Really? Wow, you're one of those rare few. I remember with Nathan I was a nervous wreck."

"That's really not that surprising," Lucas muttered darkly.

Dan just chuckled. "I guess not. But becoming a father…it's a huge deal. With Nathan, I knew that I wanted to be the best dad I could be. I wanted to be his friend, someone he could look up to. Mostly I didn't want to be like my own father. I guess things didn't go the way I wanted, huh? Both my sons hate me now."

Lucas' throat tightened a little as he listened to Dan speak. Had he really wanted to be the best father he could be? It didn't seem like he had ever been a good father, although Nathan had told Lucas a few stories from his childhood that had made Dan seem decent. But the fact that Dan had been worried about being a bad father when he was younger scared Lucas. Because if Dan had actually cared, then what if Lucas turned out the same way?

But there was no way that could happen, was there? For one, Lucas was pretty sure he wouldn't be murdering his brother any time in the future and he was also a lot more prepared for this than Dan. Unlike Dan, he wasn't giving up his dreams to be a father; he was living his dream. He was great with Jamie and Lily, too. How could he not be a good father? But Dan's words echoed in his mind and he wondered if maybe he was jumping ahead of himself. Maybe he wouldn't be a great as father as he thought…

That thought scared him more than anything.

He concentrated on the basketball hoop again, preparing to make another shot. He missed.

"Nice try," Dan said cheerfully, grabbing the ball and making a shot of his own. "Bend down a little deeper next time."

Lucas just stood there, ignoring Dan's commentary, his mind reeling in all different directions. The thought of him turning out even remotely similar to Dan made him cringe.

"It was good talking to you, Lucas," Dan said when Lucas didn't say anything else. "Good luck with everything."

With those words, Dan Scott was gone and in his wake he had left a very confused, very anxious Lucas Scott.

Her patience was thinning minute by minute as Peyton waited for Jake to walk through the familiar doors. She was standing in front of her old high school and he was inside, getting interviewed by her old principal. She wasn't sure why she so nervous—Haley had told her over and over again that Jake was almost guaranteed the job— but she just knew that this was a huge deal. If he got the job he would be moving home and if he moved home they could finally start really moving forward in their relationship.

A lot was at stake here for them both.

It wasn't like it would be the end of the world if he didn't get it; they had done the long distance thing just fine for awhile. But she hated being away from home so much and he hated that she had to travel constantly. It would just be so much easier if he were here.

That was why she had insisted on coming with him to his interview. She needed to know what would be happening as soon as possible. And now, over an hour after he walked into the school, the doors opened wide and he walked casually out.

Her excitement peaked as she walked over to meet him. His expression was practically unreadable. This only worsened her nerves.

"So?"

He cracked a smile. "I got it."

Peyton wasn't one to squeal in happiness—that was Brooke's job—but she made an exception for Jake. She threw her arms around him and he laughed at her actions.

"Wow, I wonder what you would have done if I hadn't gotten the job."

She smiled, placing a kiss on his nose. "I'm so happy, Jake. You're finally coming home, after all these years."

"This is where I'm supposed to be, Peyton— in Tree Hill, with you."

The smile that covered Peyton's face only widened as he kissed her gently. "So when do you start?" she asked as she pulled away. He took her hand, leading her to his car.

"The beginning of February. I've got to finish the semester in Raleigh, so I'll probably be moving around the end of January. It looks like you'll have to wait just a little bit longer for me to come home."

She groaned dramatically. "Three months? I don't think I can make it that long."

He laughed. "You'll be fine. In the mean time, I'll just have to make as many visits as possible and you'll do the same."

"You bet I will. I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore, Jake. I just need you now."

He smiled sweetly at her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "I feel the same way."

It was dark by the time Lucas returned home. His mother's car was no longer parked outside his house so he hoped that things had calmed down a bit since he had left.

His talk with Dan was still fresh on his mind and fear gnawed at his mind. If there was one thing Lucas had decided in high school, it was that he never wanted to turn out like his father. It hadn't seemed possible. But apparently Dan had thought the same thing and Royal Scott wasn't even half as bad as Dan was.

He wondered if Dan was saying things on purpose— trying to mess with his mind. It wouldn't be unlike him to do that. But it didn't really matter now because, like it or not, he was now acutely aware that he could very well be a horrible father someday.

But this was something Nathan had worried about when Haley had been pregnant with Jamie too and so far everything had turned out well. Maybe Lucas was just stressing himself when he thought that there was even a remote chance he would end up like Dan…Maybe it was all in his head. Because when he thought about it, yes, he had a jerk of a father, but the actual man who had raised him, also a Scott although not his father, had been an amazing man. Keith was the dad he never had and Lucas knew that this was the man he wanted to take after…That he did take after. That thought made him feel a little better.

He took a deep breath, his anxiety calming down, as he stood at the front door. He heard Brooke's laughter come from the other side and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Wasn't his mother gone? He opened the door wearily.

His eyes narrowed at the sight in front of him: Owen was sitting on the couch across from Brooke, talking animatedly about something while she just laughed at his words.

After his stressful day, this was not what Lucas needed.

His jaw clenched together as she shut the door, slamming it a little harder than necessary. Owen stopped mid-sentence, his smile faltering as he noticed Lucas' presence. He smiled hesitantly, but Lucas' mouth was frozen in a thin, straight line.

"Hi, honey," Brooke said cheerfully, turning around to look at him. The happy smile she wore quickly turned into a frown as she noticed his upset expression.

"What's wrong, Luke?" she asked, standing up quickly. Owen stood up with her, pulling the coat that had been sitting on his lap back over his shoulders.

"I'm gonna get going. It was good talking with you, Brooke." He walked past Lucas and nodded. "See you, man."

Lucas didn't say anything and his eyes never left Brooke's as Owen disappeared out of the house.

Brooke just looked confused. "What's wrong?" she asked again.

He didn't answer for a few seconds as he wondered if he should tell her what was really bugging him. Truthfully it was a mixture of things, mostly Dan, but also Owen. The bartender had been on good terms with Brooke in the two weeks since he had apologized and he seemed to be keen on gaining Brooke's friendship back, much to Lucas' annoyance.

"Why do you insist on being friends with him?" he finally asked, walking over to the couches and sitting down tiredly.

Brooke watched him observantly, sitting next to him and putting her hand on his thigh. His head fell to the back of the coach and he closed his eyes.

"Luke," she said softly, "I thought you wanted us to be friends."

"When did I say that?" he asked in annoyance.

She paused. "Then you would rather he still hate you and be on bad terms with me?"

He opened his eyes, looking at her seriously. "To be honest, yeah. At least then he wasn't obsessed with you."

"Lucas, he isn't obsessed with me."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Then why did you two go out for coffee the yesterday and why was he over here tonight? And that was just this week. Last week, you two had lunch together. It's only been two weeks since you two have made up and I already feel like he's slowly trying to mess up our lives."

Her eyes narrowed and he could tell he was confusing her. On a normal occasion, he'd give up right away, always avoiding the possibility of a fight and the stress it brings, but tonight he was on edge. Tonight he had had enough.

"He invited me out yesterday and I had nothing else to do and tonight he was returning the jacket I'd left in his car. And the lunch last week was when we talked about everything. You know there's nothing going on there, Lucas. Why would you even feel the need to worry?"

"There's nothing going on your side, Brooke, but you know there is on his."

She sighed frustratingly. "Maybe there is, but you know that he doesn't stand a chance against you. I love you, Lucas, and I don't understand how you could doubt that."

"I never said that I did," he said, running an irritated hand through his hair.

"By feeling the need to get so angry over a little cup of coffee with Owen or his being here tonight, you basically are saying that."

He took a long, deep breath, trying his best to calm down. He knew he was upsetting her and as his more rational side took over his body once again, he felt himself relax slightly. He looked at her, his eyes softening.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. You know I would never doubt your love for me, right? I guess I'm just not used to you hanging out with your exes."

The tension that had overtaken her body loosened, and she smiled softly. "I know, Luke, and I understand. Believe me, I do." She cupped his face with her hand. "Something else is wrong, though. You seem really upset."

He sighed, in no mood to talk about his meeting with Dan. He would talk to her about it soon, but after everything else today, it would have to wait until another day. "Nothing else is wrong, Brooke," he gently assured her. "I've just had a long day and I took it out on you and Owen. I'm sorry."

She didn't look entirely convinced, but didn't prod him any further. "I'm here for you," was all she said, and then she pulled him into a tight hug, her hands running soothingly up and down his back. His body immedietly relaxed against hers.

"I love you," she murmured into his ear.

He smiled softly; right now that was all he needed to hear. "I love you too."

Brooke sorted through the cash register at her store, trying to find some sort of way to distract her from the millions of thoughts that crowded her mind— most of which were about Lucas. He had acted strange last night and this morning he had seemed sort of distant. It was worrying her.

One of the major things that they had struggled with in high school was Lucas not letting her all the way in, but now things were different—he gave himself to her completely, and she to him. But today and last night he seemed to have pulled away ever so slightly and she had no idea what to think of it.

All she knew was that something was up—something other than his irritation with Owen— and he wasn't telling her, probably because he didn't want to stress her out. But she knew when it came to these sort of things that it was best to wait for Lucas to come out with everything on his own, instead of forcing him to open up. If whatever was going on was really important, he would tell her in his own time. She wouldn't force him to do anything he wasn't ready to.

"Guess who's moving to Tree Hill?"

Glad for the distraction, Brooke looked up from her position at the front desk as her best friend made her way over to her.

"Jake got the job?" Brooke asked excitedly.

Peyton nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! He's going to be moving here at the end of January. Can you believe it?"

Brooke pulled Peyton into a hug, glad that her best friend was happy. "It's great, Peyton, it really is."

"I would've told you last night but he and I had some celebrating to do before he went back home."

"Hmm, I definitely understand," she replied suggestively, kinking an eyebrow.

Peyton just laughed, taking a look around the store, which, except for the two of them, was empty. "So, not too busy around here, eh?"

"Yeah, with school in session there's definitely a decrease of customers. But it's okay; it's nice not having to deal with customers twenty-four seven. They can get kind of annoying after a while."

Before Peyton could respond to that, Brooke's cell phone rang loudly, surprising them both. Looking down at her phone, Brooke groaned as she saw 'Victoria' appear on the screen.

"It's the devil," Brooke announced, setting the phone aside and focusing back on Peyton.

Peyton cocked an eyebrow. "Is it bad that I'm assuming you're talking about your mother?"

"No, because your assumptions are correct."

Peyton looked down at the phone, which was still ringing, expectantly. "And you're not gonna answer it?"

Brooke sighed exasperatedly. "I so don't need the added stress of my mother right now. She can leave a message, although I really doubt I'll get back to her."

"What's up with you?" Peyton asked curiously.

She just shrugged, heaving out another dramatic sigh. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound like it." Peyton leaned against the counter, her eyes bearing into Brooke's. "You can tell me anything, Brooke."

"Something's up with Lucas," she admitted. "Last night he got angry about Owen stopping by and it was just so not…him. I mean, Lucas gets jealous occasionally, but he just seemed really bothered by it. But I don't even think that's what the issue was. I think it's something else that's bothering him and he was taking it all out on Owen."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know…he's just not himself and I know that this thing with Owen would never do this to him. It's something else, something he doesn't want to tell me about for whatever reason. Peyton, do you think you could maybe talk to him?"

Peyton looked at her incredulously. "Brooke, seriously?"

She nodded. "I just think he might talk to you about it. He doesn't want to stress me— that's kind of been the focal point of this whole pregnancy— so he'll probably try to keep whatever it is from me until he can't any longer. But he might talk to you about it."

"Brooke…" Peyton looked skeptical. "Lucas and I aren't really close like that anymore. We used to be able to talk about pretty much everything but now, even before we broke off our engagement, it's different. I just don't think I'd be able to get anything out of him."

"Maybe not, but you might be able to convince him to talk to me."

"Maybe…Or maybe there's nothing to talk about? Maybe he really is just annoyed with Owen."

Brooke really doubted that. Actually, she was absolutely sure that there was something he wasn't telling her. And even though she had promised herself she wouldn't pressure him, she couldn't help but want to know.

"Peyton, please, will you just talk to him?"

Her best friend sighed, not looking comfortable with idea, but nodded. "I'll try. I can't promise anything, though."

Brooke smiled gratefully. "I know. Thanks, Peyton."

Peyton just nodded, glancing over at Brooke's beeping phone. "Looks like the devil left you a message."

She glared at the phone as if it were the source of all her troubles and reluctantly called her voicemail, putting it on speakerphone.

"Hello, Brooke," her mother's loud voice rang through out the room. Brooke winced at the sound. "I can see you're ignoring me, as usual. I'm calling to let you know that your father and I will be in town tomorrow on business. Yes, I know you're probably cringing at the thought but believe me, there are hundreds of places I'd rather be than in that stuffy town with that dreaded man, but unfortunately it has to be done. Anyway, Richard is insisting on seeing your store so he and I will be dropping by sometime tomorrow afternoon. I will call you when I know what time. Goodbye."

The message ended abruptly and Brooke just sat there, every pore in her body seeping both aggravation and frustration. Dealing with her mother was one thing, but both of her parents? That was hell. It wasn't like her father was the worst person in the world—he was loads better than her mother actually—but he had never really taken much of in interest in Brooke throughout her whole life and therefore she had never really been close to him. But her father and her mother together were guaranteed chaos, especially since the two couldn't stand each other.

"Wow," Peyton said, breaking the silence. "That sucks."

Brooke glared at her. "Gee, thanks for the support, best friend."

Peyton shrugged, laughing a little as she pointed to Brooke's face. "Your eye is twitching!"

"Oh my God, Peyton, this is so not the time for your stupid comments. My parents are both going to be in town tomorrow. Do you know how horrible that's going to be?"

"Oh yeah," Peyton said, "I've met your parents many times and it's not something I like to think back on. They were kind of crazy."

Brooke nodded. "And that was when they were together. Now they're divorced and at each other's throats more than ever."

"Then why are they why are they doing business together?"

"No idea," Brooke replied. She was a little bit curious to find out, though, as much as she hated to admit it.

She moaned, throwing her head in her hands dramatically. "Why, Peyton? Why now of all times do they both have to choose to come to Tree Hill? Do they want to kill me? Do they want to send me into labor two months early?"

Peyton came around the counter, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure they don't want any of that. They probably don't want to be here as much as you don't want them to be. I mean, your mother already admitted that she doesn't. So don't worry, all you have to do is show your dad around the store and then they'll be gone. It'll take ten minutes. And your dad's not as bad as your mom, so it should be okay."

"Yeah, but they're going to be here together."

"Okay, but it still won't take that long. Besides, you'll have Lucas, right?"

She lifted her head back up, nodding defiantly. "Definitely. If I'm going down, he's going down with me."

Peyton smirked. "Poor guy."

A/N: Two updates in three days! How awesome am I? :D Haha, really though, I've had tons of time to write these past few days, so I put it to good use. I thought that it was about time I dealt with Lucas' insecurities about becoming a dad because let's face it, it's a realistic insecurity that a lot of people go through. I think it's just something that he just needs to deal with in this story. So you'll see some more of that in the coming chapters.

Okay, so good news— my winter break starts next week, so I will have a good amount of time to write. This means that I will be getting a lot of work done on this story and since there's only about seven or eight chapters left in this story, I could be finishing up this story within the next two or three weeks, a month at the most. This may not sound like good news to some of you, but I've got another story that I'm really excited about that I'll be posting after this one is finished, so you can look forward to more stuff from me.

Thanks so much to everyone who's been reviewing. Every single review means so much to me and they actually inspire me to write faster, too. So, with that said, thanks for reading and please review!!!