A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! Yaaay! I had a great time on vacation, it was sad to come home, but it does feel good to get back to normal! Sorry it took so long to update, honestly I was just being lazy. Thank you for being patient with me though, and the next one will be out a lot quicker! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it was amazing to come home to so many reviews in my email!! Speaking of reviews….we hit 900! OMG I'm like pretty much in shock still. I owe you guys a biiig thanks for being so amazing and supportive of my story. I appreciate every single one of you who reviews my story, especially those of you who review every single time without missing a beat. You are all amazing! Anyways, on to the chapter! The song is called 'I'll Stand By You' and I used the Carrie Underwood version just cuz I like it better! Haha. Anyways, enjoy!!
When you're standin' at the crossroads
And don't know which path to choose
Let me come along
'Cause even if you're wrong
I'll stand by you
Chapter Thirty Seven- Meet In The Middle
Brooke slowly closed the white door behind her, leaning against the doorframe after it was shut. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. It felt like the day was never ending and it was making her tired. Averie had been in one of her sassy moods, and on most days it only entertained Brooke. But that added with the frustration of a silent Lucas, she couldn't deal. She ran her fingers through her short brown hair, tucking the strands of hair behind her ears. When she walked into her and Lucas' bedroom it was empty. The bathroom door was closed, and she figured that's where he must be. After changing into her pajamas, she loosened the blankets on their bed, turning on the bedside table before climbing in. Once her head fell onto the pillow, she felt a little bit better.
"Is she asleep?" Lucas asked, walking out of the bathroom.
Brooke turned around in bed to face him, "Yeah, finally" she told him, her voice quiet. She watched as he walked around the bed, lifting the blankets up before climbing in next to her.
Brooke was laying on her side with her back facing Lucas. It felt wrong with him not touching her. She could feel the heat from his body next to her and it was making her shiver. Silence had been wrapped around them like a tight blanket, and she hated it. They hardly talked during the whole basketball game, and the ride home was filled with the cries of a tired Averie. She felt Lucas moving around beside her, and she closed her eyes tightly, wishing he would say something. Anything. But when she opened her eyes again, the room was still quiet while the light from her small lamp made the room glow. She almost jumped in surprise when she felt Lucas' hand land on top of her shoulder.
His grip tightened as he pulled her towards him, making her turn over until they were face to face. He watched as Brooke bit on her lip nervously, her eyes searching his. His fingers traveled along the soft skin of her arm and his eyes looked away from hers.
"I'm not mad at you" He told her, his voice coming out soft but comforting. His eyes were still looking anywhere but in hers while his fingers danced on her skin. "I know this is what you need to do. Hell, it's what you've been waiting for. But I can't help but feel a little bit selfish, I don't want to let you go."
Brooke bit down harder on her lip as she listened to Lucas' voice crack. She waited until his eyes finally met with hers again and then brought her hand up to his face. "Luke-"
"No, Brooke. I want to be happy for you, I really do, but its hard when this is going to tear us apart" Lucas sat up in bed, the blankets falling into a puddle on his lap. Lucas ran a hand through his short blonde hair, shaking his head from side to side. He didn't want to look at Brooke, because he couldn't bear to see the look on her face. "What is this going to do to us? And what about Averie?"
His voice was turning from angry to scared with each word he spoke, and it was worrying Brooke. She sat up, blinking her eyes shut quickly before speaking. "We're stronger than this Lucas" Brooke told him, her voice pleading with him. "We've been through so much already, we can't let this get the best of us."
"God, Brooke" Lucas yelled, throwing his arm out to the side. "I don't know how you can be so casual about all of this. They aren't opening the store across town…they are opening it in another state! Distance isn't exactly a healthy relationships best friend!"
"So what Lucas? What do you want me to do?" Brooke asked, her voice challenging as she threw her arms up in the air in defeat. "Do you want me to say no to the store? Or should me and you just call it quits right now? What do you want!" She yelled, pushing the palms of her hands hard against Lucas' chest.
Lucas shook his head from side to side, "I want you Brooke" he said quietly, his voice lowering as his eyes looked directly into hers.
Before Brooke could think about it she lunged forward, her arms linking tightly around Lucas' neck while her lips landed directly onto his. She sat up on her knees, pressing her body as hard against Lucas as she could while his hands traveled through her hair, pulling her head closer to his.
Brooke breathed heavily against Lucas' mouth, their chests rising and falling in rhythm with each other as they tried to catch their breath. Lucas trailed his lips along Brooke's neck as he hastily pushed and pulled at her pajama pants.
OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH
Brooke woke up the next morning, her body entangled with Lucas'. She sighed happily, remembering the night before. Angry sex was definitely not a bad thing she decided. As she slowly opened her eyes, she was met with his blue ones staring down at her.
"Good morning" Lucas smiled, kissing the tip of her nose.
"What time is it?" Brooke mumbled, burying her head in the crook of his neck.
"A little after six."
Brooke nodded, closing her eyes again as she breathed in the familiar scent of Lucas. She smiled against Lucas as she felt face against her hair. They hadn't been laying there for very long when they heard tiny footsteps approaching their bedroom. Brooke moved around in bed, her hands traveling down Lucas' body making sure he at least had boxers on.
Lucas laughed, "Brooke, don't go there now…"
Brooke slapped his stomach with the back of her hand, shaking her head and rolling onto her pillow. "I was just making sure you had something on, ass" she smirked. She lifted her head when she heard their door slowly open.
Averie padded over to the big bed, holding her purple monkey in one hand and her pink blanket in the other. Laela came in behind Averie, yapping excitedly as she followed Averie dutifully. Averie rubbed her eye with the back of her hand before throwing her blanket and monkey onto the bed. "Mommy" she mumbled through her binky, reaching her arms up to Brooke.
"Hey baby" Brooke grinned, sitting up in bed and leaning over to lift Averie onto the bed. Averie immediately laid her head against Brooke's shoulder, tangling her tiny hands in her moms silky hair.
Lucas scooted closer to Brooke, wrapping one arm around Brooke and resting his other hand on Averie's back. "Good morning Ave" Lucas smiled, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "Did you sleep good last night?"
Averie sat up, pulling her binky out of her mouth and smiling at her parents. "Mine ba-ba" She said with a sleepy smile, keeping one arm tight around Brooke's neck.
"Should we go get you some breakfast?" Lucas asked, climbing out of bed and putting a t-shirt on. Averie let go of Brooke and crawled across the bed, lifting her arms up to Lucas.
Brooke got out of bed, following Averie and Lucas in the kitchen, laughing as Averie babbled animatedly to Lucas. She sat at the table with Averie while Lucas made breakfast.
"What do you have going on today?" Lucas asked, looking over at Brooke and Averie from his spot in the kitchen.
"I have to go into the office for a few hours" Brooke told him, running her fingers through Averie's hair while she contently drank out of a sippy cup. "Sketches due" She explained, tipping her head to the side. "I should be able to take Ave though."
"I don't have to go in for a few hours, so if you want to run over there before I go I can watch her."
"If you could just watch her while I get ready then that would be great" Brooke told him casually, lifting her coffee cup to her lips.
Lucas walked over to the table, lifting Averie from Brooke's lap and putting her in the high chair. "I was thinking-"
"Thinking? By thinking do you mean brooding?" Brooke asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
Lucas brought a tiny plate over to Averie, setting it on her tray and watching as she ignored the tiny spoon instead using her hands to eat the eggs. "I hate the idea of you living in Tree Hill while I'm here" Lucas said, ignoring Brooke's comment while he kept his eyes focused on Averie. "But you can't let this opportunity go" he sighed, sitting down in a chair next to Brooke and turning to face her. Brooke opened her mouth to speak and Lucas lifted his hand to stop her, "I'm sorry that I haven't been very supportive, but I know we can do this…"
Brooke smiled, happy that Lucas was actually telling her how she felt. She had been sick to her stomach ever since she found out about the Tree Hill store, and if Lucas wasn't on her side she didn't see how it would work. But the way he stared into her eyes with the utmost sincerity told her that maybe things would be okay after all.
Lucas narrowed his eyebrows towards her, waving a hand in front of her face, "Brooke?"
She shook her head, looking back up at Lucas, "Yeah?"
Lucas laughed slightly, "I thought I lost you for a second…"
"No, I'm good" Brooke said slowly. She bit on her fingernail, looking up at Lucas nervously, "Do you really think it will be okay?"
Lucas exhaled deeply, sitting down on a chair across the table from Brooke. He looked over at Averie who was content eating her breakfast, and then looked back at Brooke. "Yeah," he said confidently, nodding his head. "It will be a lot of work, but we can get through this. I know we can."
Brooke nodded, her lips slowly turning up into a smile, "Thanks Luke" she said softly, tipping her head to the side. They sat quietly for a few minutes, Laela yapping excitedly when Averie turned her plate upside down, letting all of her breakfast fall to the floor.
"Yaeya!" Averie clapped happily, leaning over as much as she could in her high chair to watch her tiny dog smell the foreign food on the ground.
Lucas and Brooke just laughed, "She's definitely your daughter" Lucas said, rolling his eyes towards Brooke.
Brooke stopped laughing suddenly, her eyes welling up with tears as she watched Averie giggle. "What about Ave? We're gonna turn her whole world upside down Luke."
"Daddy…daddy" Averie whined, obviously frustrated as pushing at her high chair tray in attempt to get out.
Lucas stood up, expertly getting Averie out of the chair and letting her down. "She'll be okay Brooke, this isn't permanent" Lucas said softly, watching as Averie chased Laela out of the kitchen. Lucas reached for Brooke's hands, pulling her into a standing position and wrapping his arms around her. "We'll see each other every weekend" Lucas promised, running his fingers through her messy brown hair.
"How?" Brooke choked out, gripping onto the back of his shirt. She had been so excited about the store and about living in Tree Hill that she hadn't considered all of the consequences until now. Sure she had thought about them, but not in detail considering she was trying to push it out of her mind.
"I'll come there, you guys can come here…Averie can spend some weeks with me, others with you…we'll work it out." Lucas promised, saying all of the words he knew she needed to hear even though he wasn't so sure of them himself. He pulled back, looking at Brooke and giving her a small smile. "Now where's my Cheery?"
Brooke wiped at her cheeks, inhaling deeply, "I guess I better go call Haley" she shrugged, a smile slowly growing on her face. Lucas laughed and rolled his eyes as she practically bounced out of the room.
"Don't worry…I'll clean up this mess!" Lucas yelled after her.
On the way to her bedroom, Brooke looked in Averie's room and saw the little girl busily throwing all of her big, plastic legos into her crib while Laela was curled up in Averie's pink blanket on the floor. She went into her bedroom, getting her cell phone off of her bedside table. She quickly dialed Haley's number and smiled widely when her friend answered.
"Hey Tigger" Haley said into the phone, exhaustion spilling out with her words.
"Hey buuuuddy" Brooke said happily into the phone, plopping down onto her and Luke's bed. "Are you okay?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"I couldn't sleep at all last night" Haley groaned, "this baby has seriously been kicking like crazy. Every single time I close my eyes, she goes crazy…I swear Max was never this bad!"
"Aww" Brooke sighed, "I'm sorry Tutor-Mom…but I might have some news to cheer you up!"
"What? Are you pregnant?" Haley asked, finally sounding a little bit more awake which made Brooke laugh.
"Nope, sorry" Brooke cringed, "We've already had this discussion. But no, my news is even better than that" Brooke grinned. "You are horrible at guessing, so I'll just tell you! We've decided to open a Clothes over Bro's store in Tree Hill!"
"That's great" Haley said, sounding more confused than excited which threw Brooke off. "But, why? I mean, you don't even live here…why not open in New York?"
"That's the exciting part…well kinda exciting…" Brooke sighed, her cheeriness fading for a few seconds when she thought about leaving Lucas behind. She shook her head, forcing her happy attitude back. "Since we're opening the store there I'm going to move there and run it!"
"Are you serious?" Haley said, this time sounding shocked. "Brooke! Oh my god!"
Lucas walked into the bedroom, holding Averie in one arm as he heard Brooke and Haley squeal at the same time as if on cue. Averie glared towards Brooke, not liking her mom making such loud, weird noises.
Lucas held up his free hand, "Okay, I heard Haley screaming through the phone" He told Brooke with a raised eyebrow. Brooke in returned waved her hand at him, turning her attention back to the phone that she was holding up to her ear.
"I know!" Brooke smiled, watching as Lucas and Averie left the room. "It's gonna be great!"
"So is Lucas excited about living here? I mean, hasn't he lived in New York like his whole life…and he has that job that Nathan is like totally jealous over."
"Well" Brooke said, biting on her bottom lip. "This is the bad part…Lucas signed a contract with his job-"
"He's gonna find a way out of it though right?" Haley asked, interrupting Brooke.
"We don't know if he'll be able to" Brooke frowned, "Ugh, it's going to be horrible Hale's."
"And Lucas is okay with this?"
"He wasn't very happy when I told him, but he slowly calmed down and came around. He's being really supportive, saying I can't turn away from this opportunity…But I'm scared Haley, I mean, what if this ruins us?"
Haley sighed, "I'm sure you guys will be fine…"
"You don't sound very convincing" Brooke huffed. "I know what you are thinking Haley-"
"I'm thinking that you and Lucas can get through anything" Haley said quickly.
"Whatever, you don't even like him" Brooke sighed, leaning back into the pillows on her bed.
"I do" Haley admitted, "I know I haven't been like super warm and welcoming, but I think he's proved himself…and I can tell he loves you, and Averie. You two have been through a lot together, just remember that…a little distance should be a piece of cake."
"I hope so" Brooke sighed, "But I mean, at least me and you will get to hang out like all the time, just like it used to be."
"You'll be so busy with your store" Haley laughed.
"God, why do you always have to put things into perspective" Brooke groaned, "But I guess you'll be busy with Naley baby part two anyways."
"When are you moving here?"
"They want to open the store in two months, they already have a place in mind…I'm not sure when exactly I'll have to move there though."
Lucas leaned his head around the corner, peeking in at Brooke, "Uhm, Brooke…"
"Hold on a sec Haley" Brooke said, covering the receiver with her hand and looking up at Lucas who was acting a little nervous.
"Averie just put Laela in the bathtub, and I'm pretty sure you bought a large rat and not a dog" he said, now standing in the doorway holding out a wet and shivering puppy while Averie laughed at his feet saying 'tubby time Yaeya!'
Brooke shook her head, "Sorry," she said into the phone, "I better go, Averie just put the dog in the bathtub and Lucas acts like he has no idea what to do…I'll call you later."
"Wow, that poor guy" Haley laughed, "Call me when you find out details about moving here."
OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH
Brooke carried a sleeping Averie into the office building where Trish's office was located. On the seventh floor of this building they had rented out a small office space for Clothes over Bro's. Brooke had sketches that were due and she was also supposed to be meeting with some of the people that were looking over the new store. She was excited that she was going to give them her decision today, but she was just as scared. She knew that once she told them that she wanted to open the store that she would have to move.
Brooke pulled open the glass door, balancing her large bag on one shoulder and a sleeping Averie on the other. The great thing about carrying around an almost two year olds was that Brooke's arms were amazing. She decided that she might as well banish any shirt that included sleeves, because her arms were too great not to show off.
"Hey, how are you today?" Trish asked, walking out of her office and into the small reception area.
"Good" Brooke said with a smile and a nod. "How are you?"
"Busy busy" Trish smiled, walking over to the fax machine and punching in some numbers. "So, did you come up with a decision? Sam Henderson is on his way over here to talk details."
Brooke sat down on the couch, careful not to wrinkle her skirt. Averie stirred around a little bit, then settled back on Brooke's shoulder. "Yeah, I think so" Brooke said, a little unsurely. "I'm just gonna go lay her down" Brooke said, nodding towards Averie. Trish nodded, her attention focused back on the fax machine that was making a buzzing and whirring sound.
Brooke walked into Trish's very neat office, laying Averie down in the small playpen they had set up in the corner. Brooke usually tried to work out coming to the office during Averie's naptime so that she could just sleep, and that always worked out to everyone's advantage. Brooke turned on the baby monitor, picking up the other one before she left the room. She was lucky that she was able to bring Averie to work, since it was her company she knew people couldn't exactly object to it.
"She's getting so big" Trish said with a smile, paper clipping a few papers together and then looking up at Brooke.
"I know" Brooke smiled, "Its crazy. She's talking so much now, its like unbelievable."
"I know how that goes" Trish said with a warm smile. Trish's oldest son just graduated from High School, and her youngest just got his drivers license. Trish loved when Averie was around the office, and Brooke could tell she missed having a baby around.
The phone on the front desk started to ring, and Trish answered it. From what Brooke could tell, Sam Henderson was waiting downstairs and Trish had said to send him up. Brooke had only met Mr. Henderson twice, but from what she could tell he was a nice guy. Trish had hired him to help her with the new store opening, and he had been the voice of reason all the way through. He was really level headed and seemed to want what was best for Brooke.
Ten minutes later Sam and a few of his associates were sitting at the table with Trish and Brooke. The office was busy today, and they kept being interrupted by secretaries and phone calls. Brooke was just glad Averie was still asleep.
"So Miss Davis" Sam said, smiling warmly towards Brooke. "Have you made a decision about the store? We don't want to rush you into anything, but after doing a little research, we think this could be a great opportunity for you and your clothing line."
What about my family? Is it a great opportunity there too? Brooke thought in her head, She smiled, shaking the thoughts away. "I agree, after thinking about it I've decided it's the right time, and the right place."
"Perfect" Sam smiled, ruffling through a few papers that were laid out in front of him. "We were hoping you would feel that way." He turned towards one of the men next to him, "Will you go call, tell them we do want that store." The man nodded, sneaking out of the room. He turned his attention back to Brooke and Trish, "Like Trish told you, we have found the perfect spot for your store. We put a small deposit down in hopes that you would agree."
"So we are planning to open in two months, right?" Brooke asked.
"Yes." Sam smiled. "We will need you down there at least two weeks earlier though, we want you to be involved as much as you possibly can. We want you to oversee the store as it is being set up, making sure that it is what you have envisioned."
"Right," Brooke nodded. "So a month and a half?" She questioned, more to herself than anyone else. It seemed like everything was moving so fast. She didn't even have a place to live in Tree Hill. She didn't know if she was ready to leave Lucas and New York behind, not so soon anyways.
"That's right" Sam told her, "We just need to go over some of these documents, get your signature on a few lines and we'll be good as gold."
Trish turned to Brooke, squeezing her arm, "This is exciting" she said quietly.
One Month Later
"It's too big Lucas, I don't want a house that big" Brooke said through gritted teeth as they followed the realtor, Tonya, around this house for the third time.
"And I really think the second dining room would be a great advantage" Tonya said ecstatically, the way she praised everything that she spoke about. Brooke was pretty sure she could make a house filled with rodents seem amazing.
"It might be good for you, I like the neighborhood" Lucas said, leaning down towards Brooke.
"Lucas, the people that live in this neighborhood are rich and retired" Brooke said with wide eyes.
"Yeah, exactly…it's a safe, well respected neighborhood" Lucas told her flatly, wrapping his fingers tighter around hers and dragging her into the next room where their realtor was still yapping away.
"You know what" Brooke said loudly, watching as Tonya finally stopped talking and turned around to face them. "This house just isn't going to work out" Brooke said, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you have any others we might be interested in?"
Tonya scrunched her eyebrows, pushing her silver rimmed glasses further up on her nose and consulting the clip board she was carrying. Brooke and Lucas watched as she flipped through a few pages and then looked back up at them. "There is another one, it's a tad bit smaller though, actually, it's kind of close to the high school."
Brooke's eyes lit up, "Perfect, we definitely want to look at that one" she said with a wide smile. Haley only lived a few blocks from Tree Hill high, so that would be perfect.
Lucas and Brooke followed the realtor to the next house. They had left Averie with Haley, who looked like she was about to pop, so that they could look at houses. They had already looked at a ton of houses today, and they were both sick of it. They were only in town for two days, and it was making finding the perfect house even more stressful. If Lucas liked the house, Brooke didn't. If Brooke liked it, Lucas had something negative to say about it. But they knew that when they found the perfect house they would both agree.
"Lucas, it's so close to the beach!" Brooke grinned, resting her feet on the dashboard as they drove through the neighborhood. "And look!" She grinned, tapping her finger on the window, "There are actually kids playing in this neighborhood!"
"I just don't know if you want to be so close to the High School" Lucas groaned, "I mean, you know how High School kids are…"
Brooke just rolled her eyes, sitting up straight as she watched the realtor pull over in front of a pretty white house with the greenest lawn she had ever seen.
"Oh my god Lucas!" Brooke grinned, "This house has a white picket fence!" She clapped her hands together, "This is pretty much perfect!"
For the first time all day, neither Brooke nor Lucas had one negative thing to say about the house. The house had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It wasn't too big, or too small. Brooke's house growing up had been way too big, and she never felt at home there. She always told herself that when she finally had a house of her own, it would actually feel like a home. She could definitely see this house being her home. It was a new house, and everything was updated. From what Brooke could tell, there wasn't anything wrong with it.
"I'll give you two a chance to walk around" Tonya said, smiling as she noticed Brooke staring around the kitchen in awe. "I'll be outside when you guys are done" she announced before leaving the room.
"So" Brooke prodded, trying to tone down the huge dimpled smile that was gracing her face. "What do you think?" She asked, almost nervously, linking two fingers through Lucas' belt loops on the front of his jeans.
Lucas looked around, squinting his eyes. "I like it" He said finally, looking down at Brooke and smiling. He watched as her eyes lit up and he took it as his opportunity to kiss her. He wasn't surprised when Brooke wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him frantically. She was after all in love with this house.
Lucas walked Brooke backwards until her back ran into the wall. His hands ran along her bare arms, down to the flimsy cotton skirt she was wearing. Brooke smiled against his mouth, wrapping her legs around his waist in one swift motion. Lucas held onto her legs, pushing her against the wall even harder so she wouldn't fall down. Her tongue was frantically attacking his and he couldn't help but slide her skirt farther and farther up her legs. He groaned against her lips as his fingers came in contact with lacy panties.
Tonya walked down the hall, "Oh, and I forgot to mention" she started, turning around the corner and stepping back quickly when she saw Brooke sandwiched in between Lucas and the kitchen wall while his fingers traveled along her bare thighs. She cleared her throat, and they still didn't notice her. She cleared her throat once more…it's not like she could leave them here, not like that. This wasn't even their house, and she was after all responsible for everyone she let in.
Lucas detached his lips from Brooke's quickly, seeing the confusion in her eyes as he pulled away. She looked over, realizing why his fingers were no longer moving on her leg. She quickly detached her legs from Lucas' waist, sliding down the wall until her feet were firmly planted on the ground again. They both looked over at Tonya, and they couldn't tell if she was amused or disgusted. Brooke pulled on her skirt that was hiked up around her waist and Lucas ran a hand through his hair.
"We'll take it" he said confidently, using his most business like voice possible.
"Alright" Tonya nodded, obviously uncomfortable just to be in the same room as them. "I will call their realtor right now" she informed them, waiting for them to leave the room.
Brooke was trying her hardest not to laugh as her and Lucas walked out of the house, followed by Tonya. The stood in the front yard, watching as Tonya walked over to her car, talking on her cell phone.
Brooke turned to face Lucas and immediately started laughing.
"So that might have been more embarrassing than funny" Lucas decided.
"No way" Brooke laughed, shaking her head from side to side. "Way more funny than embarrassing. I'm pretty sure we just gave her the shock of her life!"
"What? You don't think she walks in on clients almost having sex in the houses she's trying to sell?" Lucas asked nonchalantly, watching as Brooke erupted into another fit of laughter. Lucas started to laugh as well after thinking about it, "Okay, so it is pretty funny."
Tonya walked back towards them, "Okay, they have one other offer on the house right now, but it isn't a done deal yet so if the offer is right, it can still be yours" she told them, refusing to look either of them in the eye now.
"Is the other offer at asking price?" Lucas asked, watching as Tonya slowly nodded her head, "Well, offer them 20 thousand more" he told her with a shrug. "But along with that we are going to be able to move in somewhere in the next two weeks."
"Are you sure? I don't think that is necessary…" Tonya said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's a lot of money."
"We're a power couple" Brooke grinned, linking her arm through Lucas'.
"We want this house, lets make sure it happens" Lucas told Tonya, watching as she retreated back towards her car and dialed a number on her cell phone again.
"Okay, so you just gave her another shock with that money talk" Brooke giggled, "Now you are just trying to freak her out!"
Lucas shrugged, "You love this house, it's worth it."
"Sorry to interrupt" A voice came from next door. Brooke and Lucas turned around to see a guy standing on the other side of the small white picket fence. He was tall and built, he had dark brown hair that was cut short and his eyes were piercing. "Are you thinking about buying this house?" He asked, resting his hands on the tiny fence.
"Why, do you have any good horror stories about it?" Brooke asked with a wry smile and raised eyebrows.
The man laughed, "No, sadly I don't. This is a great neighborhood, I really think you would like it here."
"That's good to hear," Lucas said, wrapping his arm around Brooke's shoulder protectively. "So you live next door?"
"Yeah," the guy said, turning back and motioning towards his house.
"Well, nice to meet you neighbor" Brooke smiled, leaning into Lucas. "I'm Brooke, and this is Lucas."
"It's nice to meet you" he said with a nod of his head, "I'm Owen. So did you two just get married or-"
Brooke shrugged, "Nah, we kinda skipped that step."
"Our daughter just turned two actually" Lucas said, making sure that this Owen guy knew that Brooke was in fact taken. He hadn't missed the way Owen's eyes casually scanned his girlfriends body.
"Then I think this neighborhood will be perfect for you. There are a lot of younger kids around" Owen told them, "Well, I'll let you guys get going, it was good to meet you."
"You too" Lucas said, nodding his head. They watched as Owen turned around, walking back inside his house.
"Well, he seemed nice" Brooke said with an uninterested shrug.
OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH
A/N: Sooo, what did you think?? Make sure and review and let me know! I hope you guys all liked it! This story is going to start moving along a lot faster now, I hope you guys don't mind! I guess its about time huh! The next chapter will be up a lot faster, I promise! Let me just say, it was greeeaat to come home from my trip to a very full email inbox thanks to your amazing reviews! Thank you for being patient with me! You guys are the best! XOXOX Lindsay
Thank You's:
Onetreefan: haha yeah, that was a nice little twist wasn't it! My vacation was very fun, thank you! Brucas falling apart is sad, but don't worry for now they are okay…I'm glad you trust me, by the time this story is over everything will be perfect! We're still on the winding road to that end though ahha. Thank you for always reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!
Dolcegrazia: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And I'm also glad you always love the dialogue in my chapters! That is very good to hear! Thank you, I did have fun on my trip!! I hope you like this chapter, thanks for reviewing always!
Chasity (chasitybsp): haha, yeah the last chapter was a little upsetting wasn't it?? Right when they get comfortable and settled its like BAM! Brucas…never a dull moment. Haha. My vacation was really fun, but it is good to be back! Thank you for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!
Brucas3: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! It was also good to hear that you thought Lucas' reaction was realistic…of course he would be upset! I'm glad you liked the ending of the chapter though. Thank you, my trip was wonderful!! Thank you for reviewing, it was really good to read. I hope you like this chapter!
BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE: It is good that Lucas finally knows…its not good for him to be in the dark on such important happenings! I guess you'll just have to wait and see whats gonna happen haha. Thank you for always reviewing, I love them. I hope you liked this chapter.
Katherine: So, your reviews never cease to amaze me. In fact, they never ever hurt my feelings. In other words, I love them. Haha. But I think you already knew that. That really was a pretty big cliffhanger now that I think about it haha. What a terrible time for a cliffhanger when I couldn't even update fast. Geez, that was kinda rude haha. My vacation was great, thank you! I was sad to come back, but then again its nice to be home and back to normal. I'm glad you loved the last chapter, you should be careful on the edge of your seat, that could be dangerous haha. Brucas are way too cute together, I had to give you cuteness before I dropped the bombshell haha. I'm glad you thought the Chae/Jake/Brooke convo was funny…I liked it too just cuz it was normal, light hearted, and fun. Haha. I went through a stage when I was obsessed with fish too. Like really, they are kinda entertaining, swimming around and such. Haha. I'm glad you love Averie still! It's good to hear what you would like to see happen with Averie, and I will def. add in some of your suggestions! It is pretty upsetting for Brucas…its just so rough for both of them! I love hearing what you thought about their whole situation! Of course right when the brucas family gets comfortable its like BAM! Obstacle! Hahahaa. Sorry to get you all confused and not knowing what to think. I always have those days where I can't process anything let alone a story! Brucas will make it in the end, that's a promise! So thank you for your amazing review, I seriously love hearing from you! I can't wait to hear what you have to say, I hope you like this chapter! You are the best!
Othfan326: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeaaah, finals are yucky. They make me wanna pucas. I know how that goes. I hope you did okay on them! I'm glad you like Chae and Jake, and you are sorta right about Brucas…I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one too! Thanks for always reviewing!
Onetreehillgirl066: haha, I'm glad that line painted an interesting picture in your head. Don't worry, everything will end okay. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!
Cass (cheerandbrood323): I did have a fun vacation! It was very nice to get away! Ave is fun now that she can do stuff! So you are pretty much out of school now! That is so exciting! Tell me when you post your new story so I can check it out. I don't read many but I will def. read yours! Okay, so that is hilarious about the Dr. Phil thing….I can't believe there are that many pregnant girls! Seriously, that is insane! That really is scandalous and epic all at the same time. Wow. So funny. Or sad maybe?? So hopefully Dr. Phil lands his helicopter ontop of your school. Talk about entertaining. Haha. Yay June! Thanks for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you like this chapter!
Jem (flipflopgal): haha, yeah, that obviously wasn't how brooke wanted luke to find out! I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens though….I'm glad you liked the chapter though! I hope you like this one as well. I always love your reviews, so thank you!
Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23): Hey BIF! About time for a new chapter huh? Haha. Yeah, I think I was being a little lazy, but I finally got it out even though its like almost 2 in the morning. Anyways. Haha of course Luke found out, I tricked you! Ave is amazing, I agree. I think its funny when kids say no to everything. It gets me every time! I will probably talk to you soon! Miss you! Thanks for always reviewing and just being an amazing assistant haha. I hope you like this chapter!
Natalie (iluvmedou): hahaha you are too funny. I love your reviews. You really are a drama queen hahaha. Don't cry though, really its okay! Haha I love you! Don't be scared, really, this is me! I'm glad you liked the opening, and yay for Chake and Ave and Tree Hill..see there are some good things haha. Thanks for reviewing, I always love them! I hope you liked this chapter!
Brucas3Naley23: Oh no is right! Don't worry, the Brucas love is still there! He does need to get out of that contract…its true. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see haha. I'm glad you thought the chapter was great anyways haha. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!
Sydney (LoVeBrucas): Hey haha. Your review was spazzy…I liked it haha. It was funny cuz I totally could picture you like stomping your feet as you wrote it, which is always exciting. Don't worry, everything will be fine. I bet you loved the end of this chapter. Hahha. I'm glad you like how everything is going down for the most part…besides the tearing apart of Brucas haha. No, they'll be fine in the end, I promise! So this is an early birthday present? I dunno, I'll update again before your birthday anyways! Whatever, I'm rambling. Thanks for always reviewing, you know I love it! I hope you like this chapter! Ps I think I'm dyslexic.
Reina123: Its good to know you liked the last chapter even though it was kinda upsetting for Brucas! I always love to hear what you think! Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you like this chatper!
Steph (Team Davis-Scott): I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! And I'm glad you thought Lucas' reaction was reasonable! Of course he would be upset. My vacation was a lot of fun, thank you! Thank you for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!
Lydia (TutorGrrl): I'm glad you liked the last chapter, even though it was kinda sad for Brucas. You are right, Tree Hill is an amazing opportunity for Brooke. She deserves it! I'm glad you like the idea of her going there. My vacation was very fun, sad to be home though haha, but it is good to get back to this story! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!
Brucasgirl42: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Thank you for reviewing, its great to hear what you have to say! I had fun on vacation, and am back now…so yay for an update! I hope you like this chapter!
Chebelle: Okay, so honestly, the whole over 900 reviews thing is like sooo shocking. Like its like unbelievable! So amazing though…I'm like awe-struck by it haha. Yeah, so I'm kinda nerdy, but its amazing haha. I really do love reading the reviews, you are amongst my favorite reviewers haha. The last chapter was kinda tense, I wont argue with you there! Hahah, I loved your rambling about all of it. You seriously crack me up. But you are right, they cant live without each other. Its just all a big mess isn't it! Hahaha, don't worry, it'll all work out in the end. Obviously. I love pilates..I hope you had fun. But I seriously love yogalates…it really is the best, I'm not gonna lie. I had the BEST yogalates teacher, she was amazing haha. Okay, so I wont ramble about that now. Thank you for your always amazing reviews, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!!
Whiters: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. And you are right, of course Lucas would be mad…anyone would in his situation! I would feel the same way too. They have been through a lot, but you trust me haha, so it'll be okay! I'm glad you are embracing the drama…better to embrace it than be in denial. Haha. I love your reviews, thank you for sending them! I hope you liked this chapter!
Amy (Brucas2008): I'm glad you liked the last chapter. You are right, calm before the storm..sorta. Haha. I guess you'll just have to wait and see. I'm so glad you are hooked on this story, that is like awesome! Sorry it took so long to update! Yeah…season 6...I'm a little nervous. Crossing my fingers for Brucas though. Brucas FTW!! Thank you, I am very excited about all the reviews! It's like too good to be true! Thank you for reviewing, I always love them! I hope you like this chapter.
Brucas333: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! My vacation was really fun, its kinda sad to be back. Haha. Two really is such a fun age, they are naughty but so much fun! Haha. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!
Tanya (tanya2byour21): I'm glad you loved the last chapter! That is always good to know! Sorry I left you in suspense for so long, but I hope you like this chapter as well. Thanks for your reviewing, they are always so nice!
Queen08: It was good to get a review from you and great to know you are still loving the story! I'm glad you think each chapter is getting better, that really is good to know. Thank you for having faith in my writing, haha, it will all end up good in the end! That's pretty cool that we went out of town at the same time so that you didn't miss anything! I hope you had a good vacation! Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!
IamCaroline: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! It's always great to hear what you have to say. It is pretty exciting now to see whats gonna happen! I feel almost like the story is just beginning haha. Weird since its on chapter 37 haha. I'm so glad you like Chae and Jake, they are like Brucas! Thank you for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you like this chapter!
Christie (sweetchristie03): It sounds like you had a fun vacation too! Aren't vacations the best? They are busy, but sooo much fun! I had a great time, I was kinda sad to come back…hence the long wait for the update haahaaha. I'm so glad you like Chae…that really is so good to hear. She really is like the voice of reason haha. I love reading your reviews, they pretty much are my thoughts exactly. So thank you for always leaving great reviews! I hope you like this chapter and I can't wait to see what you have to say about it!
IchliebeBrucas: This is kinda random, but ever since you told me what your name means I like love it haha. Just thought you should know. Anyways. I was totally laughing when you mentioned Brucas baby 3 hahaha. Good one! Seriously! That was funny. I'm glad you like the Chae/Averie relationship…I figured it just had to happen! I'm glad you can picture what Ave looks like, that's what I hope for haha, its so not weird! I'm glad you loved the last chapter, I hope you like this one too! Thank you for always reviewing!
Brucas224: I'm glad you got caught up with the last few chapters, and I'm even happier that you loved them! Of course there will be more Brucas and Averie! I'm glad you are happy about the Chae/Jake reunion! Thank you for the review, I hope you like this chapter!
Brucas1992: I am so glad that you are loving this story. That is great to hear! I was very excited to get a review from you, I hope to hear from you again! I'm glad you love the brucas moments! I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for reviewing!
Albluvscbg: I'm so glad to hear you made it through the whole thing! That is very exciting. I'm sure it did take you awhile, haahha, but I'm glad you loved it! That is very great to hear. I was very happy to get a review from you, I love having new reviewers. I hope you like this chapter, and thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you are liking the story.
Storyteller247: Thank you for your review! It was good to hear from you! I'm glad you love my story, and I will definitely go check yours out when I have a minute! I actually just started watching SPN, so I would love to read it. Thanks for the review once again. I hope you liked this chapter.