Chapter 37

Lucas was supposed to be writing but his mind was too full of the millions of other things going on in his life for him to really get anything done. There was wedding planning, baby planning, basketball tryouts, his new book, Brooke's parents…the list could go on and on.

And then there was his conversation with Dan; this was the thing that weighed most heavily on his mind and that seemed to be draining him little by little. Brooke knew something was up, although she wasn't pressuring him into to talking. For this he was grateful; he just wasn't ready to deal with it yet. Exactly why he wasn't ready to deal with it was a bit of a mystery to him. Maybe it was because he thought if he didn't do anything about it, the fear would just go away, or maybe it was because he was afraid that if he spoke it out loud, it would come true. And then there was the fact that, just like him, Brooke had a million things going on in her life. He didn't want to stress her with her problems… Those really were horrible excuses, now that he thought about it.

Brooke wanted to share in his problems and fears; she wanted him to be honest and free with her, just like she was to him. And for him to not talk about this with her was probably stressing her out more than if he actually did talk to her.

So he made it a point to do so. After her parent's visit later today, he would tell her.

He smiled, looking down at his computer with renewed inspiration and continued to write. He knew that talking to Brooke would help solve everything and there was no doubt in his mind that she would only diminish his fears.

"Hey."

The front door slammed and Lucas looked up from his computer, smiling as a distracted looking Peyton walked over to meet him at the kitchen table.

"Hey, Peyton."

She sat across from him with a sigh and he glanced at her curiously. "Something up?"

She sighed again, this time loud and exaggerated. "Okay," she said, "I'm not gonna lie—Brooke sent me over here to see if I could get you to talk to her about whatever's bothering you. And don't tell me it's Owen because we all know that's not the major issue."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I thought it was my job to send people to look out for Brooke, not the other way around."

A small smile graced Peyton's lips and now she looked more amused than annoyed. "I think you're rubbing off on her."

He chuckled softly, but a second later his eyes turned more serious. "Look, Peyton, there's really nothing major going on. It was just something that happened the other day that got me thinking… It's honestly not a huge deal, and if it makes you feel any better I'm going to talk to Brooke about it later today, after her parents come."

Peyton smiled, leaning back in her chair. "Good. And now I've done my job and am free of Brooke's hold."

Lucas was about to respond, but was interrupted by the slamming of the door and an angry screech that could only belong to Brooke Davis. He leapt up instinctively, making his way over to Brooke, who had the one of the biggest scowls he had ever seen on her face. Her eyes were narrowed into tiny slits and her hands were on her hips disapprovingly.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She glared at him, shrugging his hand off. "My parents, that's what's wrong. Victoria just called. They're going to be here in twenty minutes."

"Wait, twenty minutes?" he asked. "I thought they were getting here at three?"

"Yeah, so did I, but plans changed." She groaned as she looked down at herself. "I need to change, I can't wear this…"

"Brooke, you look beautiful."

She glared at him again and then frowned. "Lucas, why are you still dressed in that?" she cried, eyeing his clothes, a worn out t-shirt and a simple pair of jeans. "I told you to put on something nice, something Victoria approved. Go get changed!"

"I —."

"Go!"

He put his hands up in surrender, trying his best to hide his amused smirk, and quickly moved towards the stairs. If this was a sign of what was to come later today, he wasn't sure he or Brooke would be able to survive the rest of the day.

"So I'm gonna get going, but call me after…" Peyton trailed off as she looked at her best friend in surprise. "Brooke, are you crying?"

Sure enough, there were tears falling down Brooke's face and Peyton was slightly shocked at the sudden shift in mood. Then again Brooke was seven and a half months pregnant, so Peyton easily blamed it on the hormones.

"Peyton," she said helplessly, falling on the couch. "This is so annoying."

Peyton stood there, looking completely baffled, before quickly composing herself and coming to Brooke's side. "I know it is, but it'll be okay. It's really not a huge deal."

"It's a huge deal to me!" she practically screamed.

Peyton blanched back in surprise. "Right," she said very slowly, trying to think of the right thing to say. "I know it's a big deal to you and I know that you want to impress your dad…"

Through her tears, Brooke glared at Peyton. "I don't want to impress him, Peyton."

She backed down immediately. "Of course not, I just meant…" Peyton paused, trying to come up with something comforting to say. But, as Brooke started sprouting tears again, she honestly had no idea what to do. Where was Lucas when you needed him? She put an arm around Brooke's shoulder and Brooke rested her head there, rubbing her belly absently as a few more tears fell down her cheek.

"Look," Peyton began hesitantly, "everything will be okay. I know you're stressed, but Lucas will be there to help you out and if you want, I can come after —."

Brooke's head perked up and Peyton was slightly startled to see her smile. "You'll come? Peyton, that would be amazing!"

"Wait, what?" Peyton's eyes narrowed in confusion; how had Brooke come to that conclusion?

"With you and Lucas there with me, Victoria would never try any of her stupid games with me. She'd probably just ignore everyone instead and try to get out as quick as possible. And plus, my dad never liked you, so he probably wouldn't want to stay long if you were there. Peyton, you're a lifesaver!" Brooke pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you so much!"

"Um…"

She was confused. Had Brooke just gotten her to come with her and Lucas to see her parents? She was pretty sure she had. And, as Lucas came down the stairs and Brooke pushed them all out of the house and into her car, Peyton found herself wondering what the hell just happened.

After her little meltdown in front of Peyton, Brooke was now back to normal. Yes, she was slightly nervous about the impending arrival of her parents, but at the same time she was prepared. With both Lucas and Peyton here, her mother would most likely behave herself and her father wouldn't be keen on staying around too long. It was perfect.

She smiled over at Peyton, who leaned against the counter in her store with a dazed expression. Lucas stood next to her, looking slightly amused, while Brooke waited impatiently on the other side of the counter for her mother's car to pull up.

"Brooke," Peyton said, finally breaking out of her reverie, and looking at Brooke with newfound confidence, "what am I doing here?"

Brooke looked at her in confusion. "You said you'd come."

"No—." Brooke watched as Lucas sent Peyton a warning stare and Peyton quickly retreated. "Right, but do you really want me here?" she asked softly. "I mean, it's sort of a family thing right?"

"You are family, Peyton," Brooke said cheerfully. Peyton was more family than her own parents, if she was honest with herself, so it was good to have her here supporting her.

Peyton sighed. "Fine. But your parents hate me."

"They don't hate you, they just don't like you. There's a difference. Plus, my mom doesn't like Lucas and I don't think my dad will like Lucas either."

"Wow," Lucas said, pretending to be offended, "way to make us feel loved."

Brooke smiled apologetically. "Sorry, but they don't really like anyone but themselves, and maybe me just a little bit. And, Luke, you remember when you first met my dad. You didn't exactly leave a good first impression."

Lucas winced at her words and she remembered the day he had met her father— back in junior year when they had been dating for the first time. She and Lucas had been in the Brooke's bedroom, making out heavily and moving onto a little something more, when her dad had walked in. Brooke had found it rather ironic that— since she was pretty sure that her dad had been inside her bedroom about three times since she had been born— he chosen that day to parade inside her room like he owned the place. No matter how little he involved himself in Brooke's life, her dad had still taken up the over-protective father side a few times in his life and that day with Lucas had been one of them. Needless to say, her dad had not been very happy with Lucas.

"I think they're here," Peyton said, breaking through her thoughts. She pointed outside to the black Mercedes that had pulled up outside the shop.

"Okay," Brooke said, stepping out from behind the counter and looking at Lucas and Peyton pointedly, "we can do this. Everything will be okay. Just follow my lead."

Lucas seemed to be finding his nerves a little bit as he looked outside anxiously. But, as he took her hand, she felt both him and herself loosen up a little. She looked over at Peyton, who looked like she wanted to throw something, and nodded encouragingly.

The door to the Mercedes opened and out walked her mother. A scowl covered her face as she slammed the door behind her and walked into the store, not even waiting for her ex-husband to join her.

"I hate that man," she said, her teeth clenched together as she walked over to them. "I swear, ever since the divorce he's just been so calm and he never talks and when he's just so…polite and—."

"Bearable?" Brooke finished, her lips twisting into an amused smile. "Gee, Victoria, maybe it's because he's just so happy he doesn't have to be around you all the time anymore."

Victoria cocked an eyebrow, ignoring the comment and seemingly noticing everyone for the first time. She looked over Brooke quickly. "You look…pregnant."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Brooke smiled lightly, placing a hand fondly on her rounded belly. "I'll take that as a compliment, considering I am. So, where's Dad?"

Victoria sighed in annoyance. "He's just finishing up a phone call in the car. He'll be out in a second." She looked over at Lucas and Peyton with narrowed eyes. "Good to see you again, Lucas," she said, a fake smile plastered over her fake face. "And…Peyton." She seemed to struggle to get the word out of her mouth. "I didn't know you would be here."

"Neither did I," Peyton mumbled, trying her best to smile, but not able to manage it.

"Yes, well…" Victoria trailed off, her eyes shifting disapprovingly over the three of them, and looked back outside. "Oh, look, Richard has finally decided to grace us with his presence."

Brooke looked outside and saw her father stepping out of the car. He was wearing his traditional business suit and, except for his slightly grayer hair, he looked the same as he had the last time Brooke saw him. He had the same short hair cut, the same dark thick eyebrows and same airy look that he had always worn when she was younger.

And that was why she was pleasantly surprised when a big smile overtook his face as he stepped into her store. He glanced at Brooke proudly, his smile growing wider as he looked around the shop. Victoria glared at him all the while, but Brooke couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. It had been almost two years since she last saw him and, even though she liked to say that her father meant very little to her, she really did care about him.

"Brooke," Richard said, his eyes landing back on her, "you look absolutely beautiful."

Brooke smiled, trying her best to hide her surprise. "Thanks, Dad."

He surprised her again by pulling her into a hug. It was quick, but it was sincere and that was all that mattered. He looked slightly embarrassed as he pulled back and then looked once again around the store before looking at Peyton and Lucas, who stood silently and awkwardly on either side of Brooke.

"Dad, you remember Peyton," Brooke said, looking over at her best friend. Peyton forced a smile, although this one seemed to come much easier than it did with Victoria.

Richard smiled. "Ah, yes, of course. You and Brooke are still good friends, I see. It's refreshing to see a friendship survive so many years."

Her father was throwing her for a loop, that was for sure. He had never expected to see him so kind and sincere to Peyton of all people. Maybe being married to Victoria Davis really had brought out the worst of him.

Peyton looked surprised too as she nodded slowly. "Yeah, Brooke's like a sister to me. Nothing's changed there."

Brooke smiled, appreciating Peyton's words more than she could know. Then, focusing her attention on Lucas, she took his hand.

"I don't know if you remember him, Dad, but this is Lucas Scott, my fiancé."

Richard looked at Lucas appraisingly and Brooke was reminded of the father she was used to seeing. But Lucas stood firm under his gaze, smiling politely at her father and looking him straight in the eye.

Her father nodded slowly. "Yes, I definitely do remember Lucas." His frown turned into a teasing smile. "Although I'm not sure I like thinking about it." Lucas had the grace to look apologetic while Brooke just smirked. "It's good to see you, Lucas," he added, reaching out his hand for Lucas to shake.

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Davis," Lucas said, shaking it.

Brooke immediately felt the tension ease and relief swept over her body, feeling even better as she felt Lucas' arm wrap around her shoulder. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"So what exactly are you both doing here?" she asked curiously.

"Well," Victoria began, "your father and I are finally going to sell our old house. It's been under our name for way too long now and it's about time we got rid of it."

Brooke looked at them both in confusion. "I thought you sold the house?"

"No," her father answered, "we just rented it out."

"Anyway," Victoria continued impatiently, "the house is really the last thing that ties me and Richard together, besides you of course," she looked at Brooke wearily, "and so after we get rid of this, there's really no reason for us to deal with each other anymore."

"It will be for the best, I think," Richard said. "It's time we fully moved on from this place, anyway."

"Oh…" Brooke was still getting over the shock of hearing that, after all these years, her parents still owned the house she grew up in. She had had some good times in that house, most of the memories excluding her parents, and so she had been sad to see it go. Once she thought about it, it had been the perfect house to grow up in. It was spacious and in good shape, with a beautiful interior and a big fenced yard and pool outside. It was perfect for a family.

And that was when she got the perfect idea.

"Hey, Dad," she said, a wide smile appearing on her face, "let me show you around and you can tell more about the house…"

"You want to buy your old house?" Lucas asked and, even though he may have sounded a little surprised, he really wasn't. He knew the moment her parents mentioned selling their old house that she would consider the option of buying it from them.

She nodded, taking a seat on the couch in their living room and lifting her feet onto the coffee table. "This could be a really great deal, Luke," she said. "The price isn't really that high, from what my dad told me, anyway, and it's so big and it's in a great neighborhood and it's perfect for a family. It's really the only place I would consider buying right now."

He sat down next to her, putting a hand on her thigh. "You don't have to convince me, Brooke. I think it's a great idea."

She grinned excitedly. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah, although I think we should look at the place first. You know, see how much it's changed and if it needs any work."

She threw her arms around him and he laughed, letting his hands stroke her back.

"This is so exciting, Luke!" she said as she pulled away.

He grinned. "It is." He played with a stray strand of her hair, twirling it in his fingers. "And hey, you did great today with your parents. Really, I was very proud of you."

She laughed. "You should be proud of my parents. I mean, yeah, my mom was still Victoria, but she kept to herself most of the time and my dad…I don't even know what happened to him. He used to be so stiff and serious and now he just seems happy."

Lucas nodded, agreeing with her. He didn't know her dad very well, but from the very little he did know, he knew that the man they had met today was very different than the man he had met over seven years ago.

"So it's been a surprisingly good day," Brooke said, resting her head against his chest.

"Yeah, it has…"

His hands wandered to her belly, feeling the swift kicks of his child against his palm. Brooke covered his hand with hers and soon his mind drifted off to his conversation with Peyton earlier.

"So," he said, a sly smile on his face, "you sent Peyton over here to check on me earlier, didn't you?"

Brooke tilted her head to look up at him guiltily. "She told you that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry, I didn't mind. It's kind of nice having you check up on me every once and awhile instead of the other way around."

She smiled lightly. "Believe me, I agree." She paused and he knew that she wanted to ask him if Peyton got anything out of him. He decided to save her the worry and just come out with it.

"I ran into Dan a couple of days ago," he said. She lifted her head and looked straight at him, her eyes narrowing. "That's what's been on my mind. And he said some things that just got me thinking. I guess you could say he got the best of me."

"What'd he say?" she asked softly.

"He basically said that when he was younger he worried about becoming a father and that he would screw up. He wanted to the best father he could be, apparently. And I guess it worried me because I kept thinking that if a guy as horrible Dan wanted to be a good father, then what about me? I want to be a great father, but what if I end up being horrible…What if I end up like my own father."

Brooke looked at him seriously and cupped the sides of his face with her hands. "Listen to me, Lucas— you are going to be an amazing father. You know that your dad's an ass. He's trying to rile you up and make you worry over something that you don't need to worry about. And I understand why you're worried, Luke. I worry about being a horrible mother sometimes too, especially since my parents aren't exactly great examples for me. But I have to stay positive and believe that I'm different, that I'm my own person and just because I have the share blood with two incompetent parents doesn't mean I'm going to be one myself."

He knew she was right. He'd been thinking along the same lines as her throughout the last few days, but to hear her say it only relieved him more. Not only that, but she was in a similar position as him, something he seemed to have forgotten until recently— her parents were practically absentees throughout most of her life. She had virtually no example on how to be a parent and yet he had no doubt that she would be the best mother there was.

And then he thought of his own mother, who had been both an example to himself and to Brooke, and of his uncle Keith and he knew that these would be the people he and Brooke would be like. These were their examples. And he knew now that he and Brooke would be alright.

"You're right, Brooke," he said quietly, his forehead leaning against hers. "And I think I've known that for awhile now. I just needed some time to think about it all, without having to worry you too. And I guess I should have known that anything coming from Dan's mouth is almost always meant to torture me."

She smiled softly, stringing her hands through his hair. "Don't ever doubt yourself, Luke. You're an amazing guy with an amazing heart and I know that you want more than anything to be the best father you can. And maybe Dan really did want that, but he made the choice not to be. And I know that you would never make that choice; it's just not the type of guy you are."

"Thanks," he murmured and he kissed her softly. "And don't doubt yourself either. I know for a fact that you are going to be an amazing mother. You've already proven that over and over with Angie and Jamie and Lily."

"Mmm, don't worry, I know," she said teasingly, smiling again as she leaned in for another kiss.

He sighed, his arms circling around her as they rested contently in each other's arms and, for the first time in a few days, he was at peace.

A/N: So this chapter didn't exactly go the way I planned, but I still like it and I hope you did too.

Thanks for reading and please review!!!