I know there's a word for this
I know there's a word for the way I'm feeling
I know there's a word for this
I know it, and it's on the tip of my tongue
And it won't go any further.

I Know There's a Word for This, Aimee Mann

The Makings of a Resolution

THE SOUND OF GLASS BREAKING rang through the small apartment as Keith stared at Lucas in a mixture of shock and anger. Lucas sighed and began to rustle through one of the plastic supermarket bags filled with cleaning supplies to take care of the mess on the floor.

"You've gotta be kidding me, kid."

"Keith..." Lucas tried.

"Goddamn it, Lucas! I don't know what's worse. Finding out that your ex-girlfriend is coming. Or finding out that your ex-girlfriend is coming in a week. What happened to responsibility? Did you leave it in Tree Hill too?"

Keith slammed his hand against the wall, turning his back on him. He could feel the anger radiating in wave of his uncle, but he was unfazed. She said yes. The mantra kept chanting clearly in his head.

She said yes.

He hadn't meant to blurt out an invitation to Charleston over the phone. Not yet at least. But the sensation of her pulling away had been unbearable really. So much so that he had lost any ounce of control over his emotions and pure desperation had won over. The words had never felt so right.

She said yes.

He had no idea what he was feeling. One minute it was a total high, a euphoric elation that was wonderfully intoxicating. Another minute it was a complete feeling of nervous dread. He could very well be screwing up any chances with Brooke. Girls like Brooke only entered your life once in every blue moon. Keeping a girl like Brooke meant walking through the proverbial flames of hell.

And he was very willing to do it.

"I want her to come," he spoke, finally interrupting Keith in the middle of his tirade. "I need her to be here, even if it is only just a week. You have to understand, man. I may never get this chance again."

Keith sighed softly, leaning down to help him pick up the broken glass. "So which girl is this?"

"Brooke," he responded quietly. "Brooke Davis."

The girl that had literally moved his world.

"Tattoo girl?" Keith's surprise is not lost on Lucas and he can't help but let a smile cross his lips at the memory of that wild night.

"Tattoo girl," he confirmed. "But she's not always like that. She's— She's very good at hiding who she is. She's amazing Keith... Really amazing."

Keith said nothing and swept the remaining broken glass into a plastic bag. Lucas sighed. He was thinking about his mom. He wasn't stupid. He knew what was going on between Keith and his mom. He had grown to recognize the looks of unrequited love that his uncle bestowed only on his mother. Looks that she was always desperate to ignore.

It was because of Keith and his mom that he wanted to get this right.

Losing Brooke because of his own stupidity was not an option.

"Well," Keith's voice broke him from his musings. "Since she's already coming... I just want to make one thing clear to you though, Luke."

"What?"

"You do realize that we have lawn chairs for furniture and there's no paint on the walls. And oh wait, you sleep on a mattress and some sheets. You really think she's going to be impressed by this?"

Lucas took a long glance around the room, at the unpacked boxes and empty pizza boxes, and sighed. Shit. He dropped the broom and dustpan and buried his face in his hands. Shit.

Keith laughed. "Luke, Luke, Luke. Did ya think for a moment that I'd leave you to fend for yourself in obviously major situation such as the one you've managed to tangle yourself in?"

"Yes."

"Well, I probably would," his uncle responded with a lop-sided grin. The older man began to sort through some of the boxes close to the kitchen. "But since you're the closest thing I'll get to a kid and this is that girl, I'm going to be nice. Only because I love you and all."

Lucas grinned in response. His excitement could be barely contained. She was coming. He still had a chance. Everything would be okay.

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?" He threw what looked to be like old socks to the ground near the mound of trash that needed to be thrown away.

"She is that girl, isn't she?"

He said nothing. Brooke was that girl. The girl who he saw in his dreams at night. The girl whose smile haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Brooke was that girl that almost got away.

"Yeah," he responded quietly. "She's that girl."

A haunted look passed through Keith's eyes and the older man placed a large hand on his shoulders. Lucas swallowed nervously.

"You deserve to be happy, Lucas," he whispered. "But remember. You may never get this chance again."

I know, he thought. And that's what scares me the most.

TBC

A/N: Thank you. Thank you. I'm so pleased with the response to this little story of mine! So thank you again. I can't say that enough. Just keep reviewing is all that I ask.

A little shorter than I wanted it to be, but the next chapter will make up for it. I promise.

And now for some review responses:

Ann: I like Brooke a lot. In fact the moment I started watching OTH, I knew Brooke was going to be my favorite character. I tend to go for the characters that seem to hide a lot of themselves. I'm going to be toying with her character a lot more. As for Luke and Peyton? Don't worry. They haven't gotten off so easily. It's going to be a rocky road to happiness for Lucas and Brooke. And Peyton, well I've never liked or hated her, but I've always thought of her as a roadblock.

KT: Thanks. Peyton isn't really my favorite obviously. However I am interested in the motivations behind her friendship with Brooke and vice versa. I will tell you though that I'm going to rely heavily on my little hypotheses.

Serious Fan: Ah, the parents. Brooke's parents are going to be tackled much later in the fic and it's not going to be pleasant. But a lot of things are going to be revealed about Brooke and what I think her character should be about. If it were a perfect world I'd own the show and Brooke and Lucas and Keith and Karen would be together. But alas, I must settle for fanfiction.

Maroonieee: Well, I did end up turning this into a much longer story. I hope you're happy because you're partly responsible for me continuing. Lucas will never forget that cheating on Brooke was the biggest mistake of his life. There's going to be an abundant amount of groveling.