***Disclaimer*** for creative purposes only, I claim no ownership of the fandom, characters and setting. I do own a set of teal suitcases that my sister ran over when we had to evacuate our house due to a local bushfire. I love Australia, where year round the fire risk is at least moderate
Author note: sorry, sorry, sorry. Life man, priorities, ah, sigh, excuses. How about this, compared to the numbers reading this fic the reviews are pretty pitiful, if I can get 20 reviews by next Monday night I'll give you the next chapter within a week of then. If I fail you don't have review the next two chapters as pay back lol.
Chapter Eight
The drive had been awkward and quiet, even with Haley sitting in the backseat there was an unspoken conversation hovering between Brooke and Lucas. Acting more reserved than usual the two of them were stiff and watching them Haley wanted to bang their heads together but kept her mouth shut as they toured the school. In awe the teacher oohed over the facilities and smiled as they watched early morning mathketball, though Brooke and Lucas did share a look at the sight with their frosty demeanour warming for a second to share a derisive smile. The more they were shown the more nervous Brooke became, excusing herself Brooke escaped to the restroom.
Alone in the hallway Haley nudged Lucas, "what are you thinking?"
"Like I don't belong here and-" he lowered his voice "-that I am underdressed, maybe I should have worn a tie" he subconsciously tugged at his collar causing Haley to chuckle.
Patting her friends back Haley rolled her eyes, "you look great plus Brooke acts like it's a done deal so you don't need to impress. This place is amazing"
"I don't know, it seems… stiff"
"No you seem stiff" Haley shot back, "you need to relax"
"I am trying" Lucas sighed.
Hand still on his back Haley lead Lucas a little further down the hallway, "you need to relax around Brooke, you both act like you're waiting for the other to attack"
"I messed up Hales, I told myself to be calm but I was just so angry and I lashed out at her and I was an idiot"
"Do you think after everything Brooke will hold that against you? That girl in there is doing her best to make this right for everyone, she is so full of guilt and shame, afraid that she is about to gain something but lose everything else. You just need to be there and try not to be an idiot again"
"How is she really?"
Haley smiled, "she's mostly happy and that makes her feel guilty because she is bursting with it and thinks it's at everyone else's expense" licking her lips Haley stared into Lucas' eyes, "what about you?"
Before answering Lucas checked behind him, he gave a shy look to his friend "the same. Mostly happy and that brings along other feelings because maybe I am too happy. At first I didn't expect that but I can't help it, Hales, I'm just counting down the minutes before I get to finally meet Noah"
"I'm excited for you. I told Brooke this already and now I'm telling you" she squeezed his shoulder, "you're going to do great, you two will be amazing parents"
"Oh I'm going to be the best dad ever" Lucas grinned putting on an act of over confidence, the two of them were still laughing when Brooke reappeared, the brunette's face was pale "hey, sorry, what's next?"
"I think we are meeting her in the library" Haley answered.
-x-
After dropping Haley off at the high school Lucas drove Brooke back home and followed her inside, ignoring him for as long as she could Brooke kept her back to Lucas, slowly placing her things down and heading to the far side of the open living area into the kitchen, "coffee?"
"Sure"
Feeling awkward Lucas wasn't sure where to go, he tried to relax and settled on sitting on the couch, his hands rubbing his thighs. Lucas had sat in the same spot many times before usually with Brooke to his left, but always with his friend next to him, today though when Brooke finished placing his coffee mug down in front of him she returned with her own and sat on the one-seater by herself. The distance between them felt like miles, Lucas shifted and put effort into not commenting on the change.
Not wanting to stay silent Lucas spoke first, moving his thoughts away from heir seating arrangements because it shouldn't bother me he told himself, "what did you think about the school?"
"It was… lovely" her tongue clicked involuntarily afterwards, "and Haley loved it, it was so…"
"Stiff, cold, boring-"
"Anal" Brooke cut in and the air between them relaxed as they both chuckled, "No sports? What the hell"
"No kid of ours is going to sit around playing mathsketball"
Brooke laughed again, "I think Noah would actually love mathketball"
"Really?"
Her eyes light up, Lucas smiles as he sees it, it was love and pride and joy swimming around in her eyes, the idea of just the thought of their son putting that look on Brooke's face filled Lucas with warmth, it was contagious and he grinned too.
Without realising it Brooke was leaning forward, "yes, he's brilliant Luke, brilliant! but serious. He looks like he has never held a basketball in his life, I want to show him he can have fun, laugh out loud and be silly"
"If my memory serves me right you're pretty good at that"
"I think we all agree you were pretty boring before I fixed you"
"You left your mark" Lucas agreed, their playful banter turning more serious. Brooke had been wearing a quirky smile and it fell as the atmosphere changed between them, looking down at her feet Brooke took a breath.
As her eyes raised again, not quite meeting Lucas', she shrugged a shoulder, "It went both ways, you rubbed off on me too, I guess I needed less fun"
He frowned, not liking the way Brooke worded it, about to say something Lucas was surprised when there was a knock on the door. Brooke immediately stood, Lucas followed her with his eyes as she opened the door and stepped back as Julian walked in, "Morning, I brought you coffee and donuts" he stepped around Brooke as he spoke, placing a casual kiss on her cheek and with a grin walked in even further, "how'd it go t-" Julian stopped, his large grin slipping when he saw Lucas sitting on the couch, "oh, hi Luke"
"Julian"
"Did you like the school?" Julian asked, his light eyes going between Brooke and Lucas.
Unimpressed with the intrusion Lucas didn't answer, his expression appearing bored. Brooke tried to smile, "I think we both agree it's not the right fit for us"
"Shame, maybe the next one will be better" Julian finished and the room fell silent, the three adults unmoving except for their eyes flicking from one to the other, the longer it lasted the more awkward it became. Julian rocked on his feet, "I'll just leave you to it, here you go Brooke" he handed over the takeaway coffee and gave Brooke a soft hug, "call me later"
Lucas glared at Julian's back and when the other man said his name in farewell Lucas ignored him, standing up as Brooke closed the door behind Julian, "is something going on between you two?"
"He's a friend" Brooke narrowed her eyes, defensive, unable to describe what exactly was going on between Julian and her, "Julian's been a great friend and he is really good with Sam, I don't know what I would do without him"
"We barely know the guy"
"Don't speak for me. I know Julian"
His face twisted, Lucas looked to the ground, "clearly" he replied sarcastically.
With a determined chin Brooke took a step closer to Lucas, lifting her face to look Lucas in the eye, "yes. Julian was there for me after Xavier, he has supported me since I found out about Noah, he is reliable and trustworthy and nice"
STOP! Lucas told himself, you have no right to question her. No right to judge her relationship with Julian when he has been there for her when you can't, shouldn't, won't… Lucas stopped mentally berating himself. They'd been friends for years and Lucas was protective, it was natural as friends and he would admit their past relationship made it that much harder for him to like the men who crossed Brooke's path and now that his son was in the middle of it Lucas felt it even more, and he was aware of the hypocrisy so Lucas forced logic and reason to push those feelings away.
Reluctantly Lucas did his best to sound sincere, "I'm glad you've had someone to be there for you"even if it is that over smiling oaf "I've overstepped the line, I'm sorry. Look, let's forget this ever happened. Do you want me to pick you up this afternoon for the tour at Whiteside?"
"Actually, I have a few things to do today, it'll be easier if we just meet there"
"Fine" Lucas nodded, he hadn't had much of his own coffee but expected it had gone cold, he quickly emptied it down the sink and placed the mug in the dishwasher, "I'll see you there then, bye Brooke"
"Thanks Luke, I'll see you later" Brooke follower him to the door and didn't let go of the breath she was holding until Lucas was in his car and reversing out of her driveway.
-x-
It wasn't until hours later that Brooke realised she was angry, "… and then he gave me this look as if to say Brooke, he is not good enough for you" she deepened her voice as she imitated Lucas. With her phone on hands free Brooke drove eyes on the road, her fists banged the steering wheel "as if he is any good at judging that"
"You don't have the best track record" a male voice replied and Brooke froze.
"Mouth?"
Over the speaker Millie's voice came through, "sorry Brooke, you're on speaker phone"
"Oh, hi Mouth"
"Hi, Brooke-"
"What do you mean I don't have the best track record?"
Mouth chuckled, "high school, do I need to mention Felix or that teacher not to mention-" there was a squeal, Millie cut in "you dated a teacher?"
"Maybe-" Brooke conceded, "-Mouth has a point" but then she jumped in excitement, almost missing a stop sign as she bounced in her seat "what about Chase? He's sweet"
"Boring" Mouth deadpanned, "the word you're looking for is boring, I guess he was safe but really Brooke there's Owen-"
With a huff Brooke almost turned her phone off, "I get the picture"
"- and then Lucas…"
"MARVIN! Isn't he one of your oldest friends?" Millie reprimanded which made Brooke laugh.
"Luke is great; he is a great brother, he is a great friend but as a boyfriend…" as he said it Brooke imagined Mouth rolling his eyes, "he could work on it"
Under her breath Brooke mumbled, "tell me about it"
"It's bound to be a little weird" Millie's voice was soft, "finding out about your son was totally unexpected – mind blowing – I can't imagine how he is feeling"
"Apparently like I'm now his property. You know, I'm the mother of his child, not a child, he doesn't need to treat me like one. I feel like I can't breathe"
The other two were silent for a while, finally Mouth answered, "give it time Brooke, it'll work out"
"Haley said the same thing"
"Well his parents may be a mess but your kid is going to have awesome aunts and uncles"
Rolling her eyes as Mouth chuckled Brooke kept driving, spotting the school entrance she searched for a parking spot, "okay, I just got here, I will talk to you guys later"
"Bye Brooke" they both replied and Brooke returned the farewell before ending the call and parking. After a quick check in the rear-view mirror and reapplying her lip stick Brooke exited the car. As soon as she lifted her gaze Brooke found herself staring at Lucas who stood leaning against his own car, "hi" he gave a nervous smile.
For a moment Brooke felt like she had gone back six years, "hi"
"You ready?"
-x-
Tension hummed between them as they walked side by side, close enough that they could accidentally touch at points before they quickly parted. The longer they stood next to each other the more uncomfortable they both felt, Brooke was use to ignoring the energy between them after all she had a lot of practice. Usually they both shifted it into their friendship playing a dangerous game and subconsciously avoiding each other as much as they could once Lucas got with Peyton. A combination of joint memories, knowledge and sexual attraction that added a layer to their interactions. Group settings were the best, safest option.
It would be unavoidable now Brooke inwardly groaned at the thought of the constant interaction sharing a child will create between them, envisioning it becoming worse each time. It was in his eyes, that look Lucas wore that had Brooke wanted to alternate between slapping and kissing him.
Right now they were doing everything not to look at each other focusing all their attention on the head master who was showing them around, their bodies slightly stiff and Lucas usually walking in front of Brooke. They both asked questions, seemingly pleased with the answers, and after an hour their nerves and awareness started to relax, the wall between them slowly lowering.
When they were shown out and alone together once more Brooke instantly crossed her arms, without even realising it she began to rub her upper arms, her chin shifting so she was facing slightly away from Lucas even as she spoke, "that was an improvement. What did you think?"
"It's a lot more relaxed, I loved the physical education aspect of it and the kids here all looked engaged. You say Noah is very bright and this place could give him a lot of opportunities"
"I really want you to meet him and learn about him yourself, I agree about Whiteside though and if you're okay with it I will go ahead with the enrolment here?" Brooke sent Lucas a sideways glance as she asked and the glance turned into a lock and the two of them found themselves stopping.
Lucas' tone was soft, "I'm okay with that"
The seconds ticked by, Brooke gulped, "good… I… uh… will contact them back tomorrow morning"
They both shifted where they stood yet neither made the move to start walking again, Lucas didn't know what to say though he had a feeling inside him that was screaming to say something, anything. His emotions were unstable and ever changing, looking at Brooke was a roller coaster. One moment he is content, the next angry, the next on the verge of joy, impatient, sad… one emotion after another.
It was confusing for the author who was usually good at expressing himself. Should he apologise, too many apologies seemed strange to Lucas especially considering he still felt like there were no amount of apologies that could take back what Brooke had done.
One emotion that Lucas felt was hurt. It wasn't just the years Lucas had missed with his son, he might not agree with what Brooke had done yet he strangely understood it, a part of Lucas recognised that the Brooke Davis he knew truly believed she was doing the best thing for their baby. Because she loved him that much she could put their son ahead of her own love. And that was what hurt Lucas.
Brooke didn't trust him. Even now that guarded look she wore, the way she held her body slightly away from him, protecting herself from Lucas' mere presence was a reminder that so many years later Brooke Davis still didn't trust him and it was an effort for her to put their son into his hands. Or that is how is seemed to the young father.
For a split second Lucas went to step forward freezing still when Brooke automatically stepped backwards and away from him, they both pretended it hadn't happened and caused the moment to become even more awkward. Brooke hugged herself, aimlessly looking at their surroundings, anywhere but at Lucas "well…" she began and then was saved by the ringing of her phone.
Lucas watched as Brooke answered sounding relieved though he quickly noticed her tone suddenly changing to concern. Fingers curling tighter around her cell phone and brow creasing Brooke stepped away from Lucas, "what does this mean?... yes, yes, of course… I will be there… I got to go and arrange it, thanks, bye" Brooke finished the call with a sigh, her hand swiping at her forehead, "that was Carine, my social worker" Brooke shook her head at Lucas and he instinctively reached out to Brooke, his hand touching the back of her shoulder, then bringing her to his chest.
For a spilt second Brooke relaxed into Lucas before pushing herself away from him, "they won't let us bring Noah home next week, the judge that was meant to approve the transfer instead is not allowing Noah to cross state borders" she gave a frustrated scream.
"What do we do?" Lucas felt the panic himself, the world started to close in on him. Losing Noah so soon after finding out about his son twisted his heart.
"I have to go there tonight, we're going in front of the judge tomorrow morning" she started to ramble, her eyes back to her phone "I have to call my lawyer, there's new plane tickets, the hotel, Sam… I have to ask Haley to have Sam tonight as well-" her fingers started typing.
"Let me help, I'm in this too"
Brooke didn't answer for a minute, focused on her phone she had her brows creased, finally she looked up at Lucas "pick me up at six to go to the airport, I just booked our tickets" and without another word Brooke was heading towards the driver's side of her car leaving Lucas stunned for a moment before he too quickly left.
On the drive home Brooke called her lawyer in California and then directed her phone to send a message to Millie to change her check in date at the hotel to tonight before calling Haley. Once she was home Brooke raced inside, "Sam! SAM!" running upstairs Brooke didn't bother knocking, "there's been a change of plans, I need to leave tonight. Pack what you can for Nathan and Haley's house" just as quickly as she appeared Brooke was back downstairs in her own room pulling out her suitcases. Due to all the travel most things were already packed, Brooke added a few outfits and then went to shower and dress for the plane.
After a quick clean of the living area Brooke went to spend the last of her free time with Sam. The teenager's mood was sombre as they packed up her bag, "this will be all over soon and things will be normal again, neither of us sleeping anywhere but here"
"I thought we would have one more night just the two of us" Sam sent Brooke a guilty look and quickly added, "not that I don't want… you know… I just-"
Brooke stopped folding Sam's clothes and reached over to hug the younger girl, resting her chin on Sam's dark head "I know. I'm going to make time for just the two of us, I owe you for all I've put you through the last couple of months. I wish I could take you with me"
"Yeah but stupid school" Sam groaned, wiping her eyes as she pushed away from Brooke. No tears were visible yet Sam's eyes were bright red, she threw one last thing into her suitcase and zipped it up angry that she was doing this so soon after unpacking. Lifting the suitcase Sam left the room avoiding Brooke, grabbing the two other bags Brooke followed.
They were barely downstairs when there was a knock on the door, Sam threw it open and pushed Lucas aside as she left the house leaving Brooke to apologise. When Lucas asked if she needed help Brooke pointed towards her own luggage.
As they were walking down Brooke's steps Lucas went to speak, Ï should warn you that-"
Brooke froze, her mouth falling open to the sight of Peyton in the driver's seat of Lucas' car "you have got to be kidding. Really?" she glared at Lucas but rolled her eyes and continued her way to the car before Lucas could reply. Together they placed the luggage in the trunk and Brooke squeezed in next to Sam as Lucas joined Peyton in the front.
No one spoke in the car and Brooke let out a deep breath when they arrived at Haley and Nathan's jumping out immediately to help Sam with her bags. Lucas went to open his door but Peyton quickly covered his hand stilling him, with a shake of her head she mouthed leave them. Lucas gave a nod giving Brooke and Sam space to say goodbye, watching them as they walked side by side, as Haley and Nathan greeted them with huge hugs and smiles, taking the bags away from them allowing Sam and Brooke to embrace in a crushing hug. Lucas could see the way Brooke swayed Sam within her arms, her fingers stroking the teenager's hair. Brooke whispered words against Sam, her eyes closing with three last words before cupping Sam's face briefly and stepping away.
Once Brooke was back in the car Peyton drove off again, the eerie silence making the drive uncomfortable, it was a prickling annoying discomfort and Lucas couldn't wait for them to be at the airport. Lucas had not wanted Peyton to drive them but Peyton had given logical reasons in a calm sweet tone that Lucas found hard to argue with without turning it into a losing fight. I can't say goodbye to my fiancé? Shouldn't I be the one complaining about Brooke taking you to another state all I want is to help you out in the small way I can. Her words came back to him. Peyton had a small smile on her face which contradicted the atmosphere in the car, and when they finally got to the airport and parked the car Brooke was quick to leave, grabbing her own luggage before Lucas and Peyton even stepped foot outside the car. Sunglasses blocking half her face from view Brooke turned her back on the other two waiting metres in front before walking ahead.
Peyton looped her arm with Lucas, leaning into his side, grunting Lucas was grateful he packed light, "call me when you get there" she told him for the fifth time since they left his place, "let me know how things go"
"I'll try. I'm not sure how much free time we will have, and I want you to sleep properly and not worry about me. I've got this covered, you worry about taking care of yourself-" as they got to the doors Lucas paused and touched her gentle swell with his free hand, "-and baby Scott"
"Hurry home, I'm not sure I can sleep without you anymore" her bottom lip began to drop and Lucas stopped her with a gentle kiss.
Pulling away Lucas smiled gently, "I will be home Sunday" and then he freed himself from her arms, over Peyton's shoulder he could see Brooke starting to disappear in the crowd as the distance grew between them, "I better go"
"I can-" she began.
"Peyton, I love you" Lucas kissed her again, "it's okay, go home, I'll be home before you know it" and Lucas didn't give her a chance to say anything else, he stepped around her with a soft goodbye.
By the time Lucas caught up with Brooke she had already collected their tickets and before he knew it they were sitting on the plane leaving Lucas surprised at how much smoother boarding first class was.
Instead of making conversation Brooke made it clear she was planning on working, slipping earplugs in to listen to music so any attempt of Lucas' to talk was redundant.
With a sigh Lucas made himself comfortable, he could read the nervous tension coming from Brooke, could tell she was stressed and worried. On the other hand, Lucas was excited, no matter what was about to happen, no matter how long it would be until he could fly Noah home, all Lucas could think about was that he was finally going to meet his son.
Tomorrow was already the best day of his life and it hadn't even happened yet.
-x-
Hmmmm I wonder what is going to happen next chapter. Perhaps a father and son catch up. Wanna bet on how it'll go?