Disclaimer: One Tree Hill doesn't belong to me!
Epilogue: One Year Later
A year after Jake had returned, life was a little bit easier for the Scotts and Jygielskis. The twins had celebrated their first birthday, and Jake and Peyton's baby boy, Bradin Sawyer, was ten months old. Brooke and Lucas had been married a month before in a big ceremony. Jenny was in first grade, and loved her little brother.
Haley was trying to get food prepared for the girls' birthday party. Nathan was out back with them, keeping them out of her way.
The doorbell rang, and she shouted, "COME IN!" Jenny ran into the kitchen.
"Aunt Tutorgirl!" Brooke had taught her what to call Haley. Jake thought it was funny, and Peyton thought it was annoying.
Haley stopped what she was doing to hug Jenny. "Hey, Jen. How are you?"
"Good. Look! I lost my first tooth." She opened her mouth to show a gap on the bottom row of teeth.
Haley gasped. "That's so cool! Did the tooth fairy visit you?" She smiled at Jake and Peyton as they walked in behind her.
Jenny nodded vehemently. "Yep, and I got five dollars!"
"Wow." Haley stood up and looked at Jake and Peyton. "What a nice tooth fairy."
Peyton said pointedly to Jake, "Yeah, a little too generous, huh?" She joked with Jake.
He grinned sheepishly. "What?"
Jenny, oblivious to all of this 'adult' talk, said, "Where are Kristin and Kaylie?"
"Outside with their daddy. You want to go play?"
"Yeah!" She said excitedly. She looked at her parents for permission.
Peyton said, "Hold on a second. Daddy will go with you." She kissed Bradin's head and passed the baby to his father.
Jake took the baby and used his free hand to grab Jenny's. The three of them disappeared out the door. Peyton smiled as she watched them go. They were the perfect family.
Haley smiled with her friend. "Bradin gets bigger every time I see him."
Peyton laughed. "I know. I am constantly buying him new clothes."
Haley teased, "I sure you don't mind."
She grinned. "Of course not!" She looked around. "Can I help with anything?"
"Um, yeah, actually. Will you cut the ham and place it on this plate?" Haley gave her what she needed and the two girls preceded in making the appetizers.
Out back, Jake and Nathan were watching their children play in the grass. The twins were crawling all over, and Jenny was making them laugh. Jake had Bradin in front of him, chewing on a toy.
Nathan said, "Can you believe a year ago you were still missing?"
Jake shook his head. "Man, this year has flown. In a good way. I am so happy right now with Peyton, Jenny, and this little guy. Being in that war was hell. I was glad to have the chance to serve my country and do my duty, but being away from my family so long was the hard part."
Nathan agreed. "Yeah, I hear you. At least its over now."
Inside, Haley and Peyton were talking about the latest celebrity gossip when they heard the front door open. "HELLO! Anyone home?" Brooke's voice rang out.
Haley and Peyton looked at each other. "Brooke."
Brooke and Lucas entered the kitchen loaded down with presents. "The fun can begin," Brooke giggled.
Peyton laughed. "Didn't you hear? The fun began when we arrived."
"Bullshit." Brooke grinned. Then she covered her mouth. "Oops. I forgot little ears are around."
Haley said, "The little ears are all out back with our hubbies."
Lucas told his wife, "I'll be out back then."
"Bye baby." She watched him go before looking at her friends. "So, what's going on?"
Haley shrugged. "Nothing, really. How is married life treating you?"
Brooke smiled ear to ear. She loved talking about Lucas. "Oh my God, it is so good. Just being with him is so amazing. I love him so much."
Haley said, "Aw. You guys are like a Hallmark card or something."
Brooke smiled again. "I'm going out back. I haven't seen Jenny in like a week."
Peyton said in a kidding voice, "Oh my God, call the media!"
"Shut up," Brooke laughed. She walked outback and behind her husband. She wrapped her arms around him and he put his arm behind her, pulling her close. "Hey."
Jenny heard Brooke's voice and looked up. "BROOKIE!" She ran up, and Brooke let go of Lucas so she could spin her around.
"Jen!" The little girl was giggling like crazy.
"I haven't seen you in awhile," she complained as Brooke set her on the ground again.
"I know, and I'm sorry," Brooke apologized. "But I brought you something," she said mischieviously.
"What?" Jenny asked in a very impatient manner.
"You'll just have to wait and see..." Brooke said.
Jenny pouted. "No."
Jake chided, "Jenny, show some manners."
Jenny sighed. "Fine. When will I get it?"
"After dinner and birthday cake." Jenny turned and went back to the twins. Brooke was wrapped up in Lucas's arms once again. She looked around. "Where's Bradin?"
Jake moved to the side and Bradin was sitting on the ground, still chewing on his toy. Brooke squealed and walked over to him, lifting him into the air. "How's my man doing? Huh?" She hoisted him on her hip. "You are just too cute." He giggled as she talked to him. "Jake, dude, this baby is all you. So easy going."
"I know." Jenny walked up just then and Jake sat down in a chair, and pulled Jenny into his lap. Bradin saw this and started to cry out of jealousy.
Brooke laughed. "Ooh, somebody's jealous." She walked over and set Bradin in his dad's lap. He instantly became the happy baby once again. She loved how close they were. Brooke heard precious giggles and turned around. The twins were sitting on the lawn, playing with some tupperware Haley had set out for them.
Brooke walked over. "There are the birthday girls!" She sat down with them, and Kaylie crawled into her lap. "Hey, there. Miss Kaylie you are so big now."
Kristin, never one to stay out of the spotlight, started to whimper. Brooke laughed again. "You know Bradin? You girls are just like him! Jealous." She reached over and picked up Kristin. They were both in her lap when Lucas came up. She looked up and smiled at him. "Hey, Broody."
"Hey, Cheery," he said, using an old high school nickname. He sat next to her, and Kaylie held out her arms for him. He took her and started to tickle her. She giggled. Brooke loved how babies giggle. Its so adorable.
Being with Lucas and the girls made Brooke want kids. Not now, because for a few years she wanted life to be just about her and Lucas. But sometime in the future she definitely wanted little Kaylies and Kerstins and Bradins of her own.
Lucas noticed the look on her face and knew what she was thinking. He always knew what she was thinking. Brooke looked up just then and the two newlyweds shared a smile. He leaned over and kissed her square on the lips.
"Ew!" Jenny said from her position on her dad's lap. Brooke and Lucas turned around to look at them.
"Shush!" Brooke shouted back. If she wanted to kiss her husband, then she was going to kiss her husband.
Kristin started getting restless in Brooke's lap. Brooke stood up with her. "You hungry?"
Lucas, too, stood up with Kaylie and they walked back to where Nathan and Jake were sitting. Nathan took Kaylie from her uncle.
Brooke tickled underneath Kristin's chin, making her smile. "Nate, I'm going to take her inside. Is that cool?"
"Yeah, fine with me."
Brooke walked inside with Kristin and into the kitchen. "Hey, friends. What's up?"
Kristin saw her mother at the stove and held out her hands for her. Haley smiled at her daughter. "Hey, sweetie. Hang on just a second."
Brooke sat with the baby at the table, playing with her hands. Peyton was watching her. "Brooke, when are you going to have kids?"
Brooke looked up and saw that Haley was also waiting for her to answer. "Not any time soon. I mean, I want kids, of course. Just not now. Maybe in a few years."
Haley finished up at the stove and walked over and took the baby from Brooke. "I want another one in a year or so. Don't get me wrong, I love these girls. But I want a bunch of kids."
Peyton shook her head. "Not me. I'm happy with Bradin and Jenny. They are more than enough of a handful."
Brooke said, "Well, I know Lucas definitely wants kids."
The guys walked in just then with the kids. Haley looked around her kitchen. "You know, five years ago I never would have pictured this. All of us are married, and we have kids. Its so weird."
Nathan walked up to his wife. "A good weird." He kissed her, and then Kaylie and Kristin started putting their hands on their parent's faces. Haley and Nathan laughed, and kissed the girls. "We love you too, don't worry," Nathan said.
Peyton walked up and took Bradin. "Hey, sweetie." Jake put his arm around her, and just as Nathan had done moments before, he kissed her.
Jenny walked up to Brooke and said politely, "Can I have my gift please?"
Brooke laughed. "Ask Lucas."
Jenny went up to Lucas and asked him the same thing. He shook his head, and said, "I think I forgot it at home."
Jenny folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah, right." Peyton laughed at her daughter's comment. "Come on, please Uncle Lucas?" She wrapped her arms around him. Lucas couldn't resist. Jenny had this hold on him or something.
"Hold on," he said. He disappeared into the other room and returned a few minutes later with a box with pink wrapping paper.
Peyton rolled her eyes at the wrapping. "Brooke..."
Brooke shrugged. "What? I like it."
Jenny ripped it open and inside was the whole first season of the show Clueless. "CLUELESS!" She shrieked. She held it up for her parents to see.
"What do you say," Jake prompted.
Jenny went over to Brooke and hugged her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Brooke laughed and hugged her back. "You're welcome. I saw it at FYE yesterday and couldn't resist."
Jenny then went over to Lucas and he picked her up. She hugged him. "Thanks Uncle Lucas." She squirmed out of his arms and went up to Nathan. "Uncle Nate, do you have a DVD player?"
Peyton laughed, and said, "I don't think so. You can watch it later, at home. This party is about Kaylie and Kristen."
Jenny said, "Okay. Can Daddy open it so I can at least look at the pictures?" Peyton nodded and Jake took the DVD disc set from her.
Brooke then said, "Okay Peyton, pass me Bradin. You get him all the time."
Peyton said, "Brooke, you are at my house all the time."
"You're point?" She grinned as she took Bradin from Peyton. Jake finished opening the present, and Jenny ran into the other room.
Peyton and Jake walked out back, into the fresh air. Jake stood behind her with his hands wrapped around her waist. She leaned her head back onto his chest, and closed her eyes. She was so happy to be with him. They just clicked, and they had built a life together. She remembered a year ago when Jake had been missing, and she was losing hope. Jenny helped her to pull through, and now she had Jake again. She was never letting him go. Never.
She turned around and he kissed her. Her lips lingered on his for a few moments. "I love you," she whispered.
He said softly, "I love you too. Always and forever."
The End!
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story! I had a lot of fun writing it! For those who wanted to know what actually happened to Jake, I didn't want to go into those details because I honestly have no idea what I am talking about with that sort of thing. You can use your own imaginations. Tonight, I am posting my new Brooke/Nathan story, so check it out! Thanks again, you guys are awesome!
