Chapter 10
Two Sides To Everything

Five Months Later

Lying on the couch in the apartment, Brooke casually rubbed her stomach as she had become so accustomed to doing. Lucas watched Lilia crawl toward her mother. He followed her and lifted her so she could reach Brooke. Lilia kissed the protruding stomach and Brooke beamed.

"Who is that, Lil?" He asked her as he rocked Lilia back and forth in his arms. His fatherly instincts were more present now then they had ever been. When he realized that he was going to be a father again, he got it act together. He could fight about stupid things, he had to be patient, and he had to be an adult.

Brooke winked at her daughter and sat up to give Lucas a kiss. He sat next to her on the couch and put Lilia on his lap. He ran his hands over her abdomen. They were one big happy family. He had wanted to make it permanent for so long, but now was the time.

Lucas stood up and walked into the back room. When he returned, Brooke was watching and studying every move Lilia made. Lucas smiled at her and entered the room. She looked up at him, "What are you doing? You've been acting weird today." He said nothing and she looked back to the television.

"That is so stupid. These people who showcase their dating experiences on TV for the whole world to see are idiots and then, here's the kicker for me, they get married at the end." She looked to Lucas, "I mean you and I have been together for longer, have a child, and have had our ups and downs and we are no where close to getting married."

Lucas nervously fiddled with something in his pocket. His voice cracked, "Yeah. You're right. No where close." He walked back into the backroom.

Brooke stood up, put Lilia in her playpen, and followed Lucas. "Lucas, what's up?" She put her hand on his back and he quickly whipped around.

"Sometimes I just don't get you Brooke."

"What are you talking about?" She laughed, "I know I am a little complicated sometimes but..."

"No buts Brooke, I am being serious. I don't know what you want."

She put her hands on his shoulders and tried to kiss him. "I just want you." He shunned her and she said, frustrated, "Is that not good enough for you?"

"Ya know what Brooke, that isn't good enough for me anymore."

Her mouth dropped open. She was more confused and dumbfounded by him then she had ever been. She watched him pace across their room. Not knowing what to say, her eyes filled with tears.

Lucas noticed her tears. Drop after drop fell from her face onto the carpet floor. He felt as if he should do something, maybe take back what he had said, but he meant it. Every bit of it. It was just he hated it when she cried.

She sat on the end of the bed and looked up at him. He cringed at the sadden look in her eyes. "I don't think I understand, I thought everything was fine." She wiped her eyes and looked at the floor, "I thought we were fine."

He continued to pace, but paused for a moment, "We were fine. Brooke I just feel like it is time to take that next step..."

"Why Lucas? What's the point if we are happy?"

"Brooke come on..."

"No Lucas you come on." She looked up at him and shook her head, "You are always thinking about yourself. Its never about what Brooke wants, it's always about you. You don't give a damn if I want to get married."

"Brooke..."

"You know it's true."

"I never said I didn't want to get married. I do, I want to get married to you right now, before the baby's born."

"Well I don't."

"You can't decide that quickly."

"Why can't I?"

"Damnit Brooke you are being so irrational. You are acting like a child."

She stood up and placed her hands under her abdomen, "Don't you get it Lucas! We are still children. I am only eighteen, almost 19." She walked over to the bedside table and picked up her purse. She grabbed her car keys and left the bedroom. "I can't do this anymore. I just can't."

"Brooke, come on. Come back." He watched her open the door, "I didn't mean it."

She looked back at him, "If you didn't mean it you wouldn't have said it." She slammed the door behind her.

Lucas came into the hallway, "Brooke, what am I supposed to do with Lilia?"

"You figure it out since you are such an adult." She turned around and put her hands on her hips, "Adults know what to do with babies." She spun back around and left the apartment building.

Sitting in her Beemer, the tears began to pour from her eyes. She reached for her mirror and looked at herself. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She searched for her cell phone and scanned through her phonebook. The tears had almost ceased, when suddenly they began to fall even more rapidly then before. There was no one to call, so just drove until she reached a familiar place. Tree Hill.

Peyton leaned foreword on the bench, watching Daniel play with Reed. She watched them slide down the slide, swing on the swing, and dangle on the monkey bars. Peyton smiled for the first time since her mom died. So this is what happiness feels like, she asked herself.

Reed waddled toward her and grabbed at her knees. "Pey." She picked him up and sat him on her lap. She bounced him on her knee and they both enjoyed every second of it.

She watched Daniel carefully. His hands were deep in his pockets. Peyton questioned him, "What are you..."

Out of his pocket, Daniel pulled a velvet box. He slowly opened it and looked up at Peyton. "Pey, I know we haven't been together for long but I have never felt like this with anyone else in my life and with that I know that I want to feel like this for the rest of my life. I want to be with you forever." He dropped to his knees and said the four words that Peyton had never expected to hear in her life, "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes opened to the size of half dollars and her mouth dropped to the ground. She couldn't speak, but instead nodded, rapidly. Both were beaming. Reed sat in Peyton's lap confused. He wouldn't be the only one.
"Shut up Nathan, just shut the hell up." Eliza yelled as Nathan continued mouthing at her from the kitchen. She ran her fingers through her hair and emerged from the bathroom, dressed in definite club attire: tight, dark jeans and a barely there nude colored lace camisole.

"Eliza, you are such a bitch sometimes." He watched her walk into the living room of his apartment and sit on the couch. "But then I look at you and remember why I am with you."

She rolled her eyes and pushed his hands off of her, "We are not together. How many times do I have to tell you, we are just friends...?"

"With benefits." Nathan interrupted as his ran his hands over the curve in her waist.

Pushing his hands off she said, "Right, with benefits... or something like that." She slipped on her favorite pair of Marc Jacobs high heels and grabbed her purse. "Are you ready?"

He nodded his head and reached for the car keys, "Ready as ever." He followed close behind her and ran his fingers down her back, ending at her lower back. He traced her tattoo, the Chinese symbols for love and hate.

Nathan always thought that explained their relationship better then anything. Sometimes they loved each other, but other times they despised one another. Sometimes Nathan thought that tattoo should say bitch or I hate you instead.
Haley sat on the edge of the dock. Her feet dangled toward the water but didn't touch it. She just sat there and thought. She laid back and closed her eyes. A part of Haley had known all along that she and Nathan would never work out. Of course she loved him but now that she thought back on it, maybe she didn't love all of him. Maybe she didn't love the real Nathan. She only loved the Nathan that Haley knew.

Her thought were interrupted by a familiar voice. A voice she had worked with for so long. "As much as you think about it... it isn't going to get any easier." She looked up at the voice.

"Are you upside down or am I?" It was Jake.

"Depends on how you look at it." He replied with a smile.

"Well to me you are upside down."

"And to me you are."

"Glass half empty, half full?" Haley asked him as she sat up and crossed her legs.

He sat down next for her and dropped his legs into the water, "Today." Jake looked at her, "Half full. How about you?"

She smiled at his comment, "Lately it's been half empty." Haley turned to Jake and said, "But right now it's half full."

Jake looked at his watch, "Speaking of. WE better get back to those glasses. We have work in fifteen minutes."

Haley lay back down, "Don't you ever just not want to go?"

He looked over her, "Yeah, but then I remember I have a baby to feed and a Jake to feed."

Haley smiled and let Jake pull her up, "Fine I'll go. I don't want to, but I will."

"Good decision." The two walked back to their cars.

"I haven't made too many of those lately." Haley said as she unlocked her door.

"Sometimes you make good ones sometimes you make bad ones." He stood in front of her now and took her hand, "But Hales it's not like you knew it was a bad idea then." Jake kicked the gravel and then looked back up at Haley, "I have this theory."

Haley smiled at him. He was so earnest and she appreciated that about him. "What would that be?"

"At one point in time everything seems like a good idea and at another point in time that same idea seems like the worst idea in the world."

"Like there are two sides to everything."

"Exactly."

She kissed him on his left cheek. "There's one side." She kissed his right cheek, "There's the other side." She looked at him and said, "I don't see how that could be a bad decision."

Author Note: Hope no one is confused. In the beginning of the chapter Lucas and Brooke are still in Wake Forest. They have their own apartment there. Eliza is living with Nathan at his apartment in Tree Hill. Peyton and Daniel are together in Tree Hill. Haley is currently single and living in Tree Hill as is Jake.

Did you like the format of this chapter or not? Tell me. You all know how much I love feedback! Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and to RasberryGirl you had some excellent ideas, as did everyone else so we will just have to see what happens. Thanks for reading. More coming soon!