Chapter 11

Feels Like Home

It was a time in her life when she needed her mother, a companion, someone to share her successes and failures with. She had nothing like that. She felt so alone.

It was hard being happy for everyone whose lives were just now unfolding while her world was crumbling down. Brooke knew her life with Lucas had been too good to be true. Being happy scared her. Of course she wanted to marry Lucas, but she wanted him to want to marry her, not Lilia and the baby on the way.

Brooke sighed and rested her left hand on her stomach, while the other hand steered the wheel. She stared out the window, watching sign after sign pass by, and anxiously waiting for the one she needed.

There it was. Tree Hill 3 miles next exit. She felt she might have an anxiety attack, not just because she was almost home but because the one person who made everywhere feel like home was not with her.

Lilia was crying and had been for the past hour or so. Lucas looked at the clock on the microwave. Make that an hour and seventeen minutes, he thought to himself.

"Momma, mommy!" Lilia screeched as Lucas tried to calm her as he rocked her back and forth, side to side. She continued and the rocking ceased.

He rested her on his thighs, "Please Lil, I don't know where mommy went." For a moment she stopped crying. He let out a long sigh of relief and kissed her on the forehead, "Thank you baby doll."

Leaning back on the couch, he closed his eyes but before he could fall asleep she began crying again. He sighed once more and felt like screaming. He opened his bright blue eyes and carried Lilia into the bedroom with him. Looking into the mirror, his eyes seemed dim. It's because she is gone, he thought to himself. He looked at Lilia and ran his hand over her dark brown hair.

He laid her on the queen sized bed and pulled a suitcase out of the closet. Looking over at Lilia, he said, "I have to go find her. We have to go get mommy back, Lil."
Peyton never thought she would be like this. She never wanted to be like this. She was what she hated about women. Everything she had ever dreamed of, she gave up to be with him and for that she hated herself.

Staring at the ring on her finger, Peyton felt she might vomit. Suddenly she wondered why she was doing this. She wondered if this was really what she wanted. She wanted Daniel to walk through the door of his apartment right at that moment. She wanted to see him and all her doubts be pushed aside.

The door opened, Peyton expected it to be him. A pregnant, tear streaked Brooke walked in through the door. She put her hands below her stomach and said, "I didn't know where else to go."

Peyton stood up and rushed toward Brooke, "What happened? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Lucas and I, we were fighting, it was my fault... I know it was..." She paused and looked up at Peyton, "He wants to get married..."

"What is so bad about that?"

"I want him to marry me."

"That's what he wants to do Brooke."

"No, he wants to marry Lilia..."

"Brooke, don't be silly."

"No, Peyton I know he does... he thinks that is what I want. I never had the picket fence and I never will."

"Well talking like that there is no way you will. Maybe someday, you never know."

"The pessimist herself is speaking positively for the first time in her life, what's up?

Brooke looked Peyton up and down. Her eyes stopped on Peyton's left- hand, "Shut up." She grabbed her hand, "What is this all about?"

The door open again and Daniel entered, "Hey. Oh Brooke, hey. Pregnant again I see."

"You ass, you knew that." Brooke said, hugging him.

"Boy, girl?" Daniel asked.

"Don't know."

"I hope boy, for Lucas' sake."

Peyton shook her head at Daniel and he quickly stopped talking. "Daniel, babe, um... Reed has wanted to go to the park today, maybe you could take him."

He caught on, got Reed, and left the two women alone. "Okay, Brooke, tell me, what' going on?"

"Where do I being?"

"From the beginning?"

"Well, the sort of beginning... I know up until about four or five months ago."

Brooke laughed and began, "Okay..."
"Leave... me... alone!" Eliza screamed as she stormed out of the apartment she and Nathan had been sharing.

He chased after her, "Fine then leave. Where are you going to go now? I am glad you are leaving. I am sick of your shit."

She whipped her head around, "My shit?" She laughed and rolled her eyes, "You must be joking?"

"Name me one thing I have ever done to you to make you despise me like you do?"

"Come on Nathan... I don't have to give you a reason. You knew this wouldn't work. You and me, we're too alike."

"You're kidding right?"

Eliza placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him. She shook her head, "Not kidding."

"I separated from my wife for you Eliza and you get mad about one little thing, storm out of the house, and leave me here back at square one?" He tried to laugh, "You have got to be kidding me."

"No, Nathan, you are acting like I made you leave Haley I didn't. That was your decision." She sat down on the stoop and looked at him. She shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, the company was good, the sex was even better but we almost hated each other."

"We did not."

"You are being so naive, we did so."

"I know."

"See?"

He sat down next to her, "What do we do now?"

Eliza put her hands on her knees, "I guess go back to the way it was before."

Nathan stood up, angry, "Well how the hell do you expect me to do that?"

"It's not just you Nathan! I don't have a place to live now! Brooke hates me, she was my only friend."

"Oh it is always about you. Poor pitiful Eliza."

"Shut up."

"Whatever, Eliza, just go pack your bags and leave. That's what you have wanted to do since you got here anyway."

Eliza gave him a look that made him wonder if she was going to hit him in the face. She didn't and he was relieved. He figured she could hit pretty hard. He continued sitting on the steps and found himself laughing and the whole situation he was in. He reached into his pocket, searching for his cell phone. He pulled it out. One missed call, it was Lucas.

"Hey, I am coming into town and need somewhere to stay. I can't get a hold of my mom so if you could tell her I am coming and that it is an emergency I would appreciate it. See ya soon."
Jake and Haley stood behind the counter at Karen's Café. He put his hand on her back and she kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for being there for me Jake."

He smiled at her and watched her move into the kitchen, "Anytime." He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Haley.

"You're a good friend," She put her hands on his shoulders, "You know that?"

"Yeah, thanks." He was a little disheartened. He had felt himself falling for Haley over the past few days. Jake had never realized it would happen that quickly. He felt he had to go for it, "So Hales, I was thinking, maybe you would want to have some dinner tonight with me..."

She whipped her head around, smiling, "And Jenny?"

She knocked me down again, he thought. "Yeah, Jenny." In the original plan, Jenny was not included."

"I think that would be okay." She looked down at the tiled floor, "Listen Jake," She looked up at him and continued, "I know what is going to happen and I don't want it to. I don't want our friendship to be ruined by... this."

"Nothing'll be ruined Haley."

"You don't know that."

"You don't know that it will."

She sighed, "Dinner tonight?"

"Seven."

"Okay."

Author Note: So sorry for the lack of updates. I have been out of town since last Saturday and expected to be back Tuesday but didn't end up getting home until late, late Wednesday night. Thank you again for all the reviews and I promise more coming soon!

PS: Anyone have any ideas for baby names for Brooke and Lucas' new baby?