Disclaimer: Anything you don't recognize from the show is mine… everything else… I wish!
Note:� Thank you so much for commenting!� It really made my day that you guys took the time to do that.. I've had a horrible day and it looks like I won't be doing any writing till the weekend so this is it for a few days.. I've been so busy but I'm trying to make time!
See Me Now
"She has to be pregnant."
Brooke declared as they exited from her car, all three with arms full. Brooke had entered the Cafe to hear all the commotion and Peyton and Jillian decided to invite her along since Haley was spending time with her husband.
"Husband! Who gets married at seventeen?" Peyton reached into the back seat and held a bouncing Jenny in her arms.
"Someone who is pregnant. Isn't that right Jillian?"
Brooke sometimes had no tact. Most of the time she didn't have tact. She had no filter of what entered her brain; everything she thought automatically came out of her mouth. As Peyton heard Brooke formulating the sentence she let her know that it was something she shouldn't have said by giving her a little kick and the look.
"Sorry." Brooke said as they were making their way down the beach to get closer to the water.
"It's not like we didn't talk about it. We talked about it a lot. But we were a lot younger then."
"So Jake asked you to marry him?"
Jillian laughed at the memory. "I think it was more of a desperate attempt to make our parents see that we wanted to be together."
"Did he have a ring?"
"He proposed while our parents were having a meeting, deciding what they should do with the baby."
"Sounds like it wasn't the moment you were waiting for."
"I wanted it to be about us, not about me being pregnant. But it still felt nice that he loved me enough to do that."
They sat on the partially packed sand, close to where the water was coming in from the waves. Peyton was holding onto Jenny as she crawled around the sand, grabbing little fist-fulls of sand and throwing them into the air, a little smile on her face, with Brooke taking pictures of the pair.
"Even if she is pregnant, Haley will soon find that even if it doesn't work out between her and Nathan, her child will still mean the world to her." Both Peyton and Brooke stopped to listen. "I can't imagine my life meaning anything without Jenny."
Nate and Haley�had left lnog before�but their news still stayed as the topic of conversation in the Cafe.
"Married." Lucas was still in disbelief.
"Yeah, no kidding. That's definitely one of those sobering thoughts."
"Married." Lucas was shaking his head. What else could he say? Being married at their age was ridiculous.
"Hey, Juliet was only 13. Weigh it." Jake went around the counter to clear a table where a couple had just left.
"Married." Lucas had the look of disgust on his face. "Married!"
"I feel like I'm the only one adding anything new to the conversation."
"Good God, Haley is my sister-in-law now."
"Think of her for a moment." Jake moved closer to Lucas so no one could overhear. "Think of who her father-in-law is." Lucas cringed. "Yeah, I have pity for her, too."
"Still, it doesn't shock you a little?"
"Surprise me, yeah, but shock; no. They are in love, Luke. Why does it shock you?"
"I guess I just never thought about it. We are too young." Jake did nothing just shrug. "You don't think we are too young?"
"Hell, I was younger than Hales and Nate when I asked Jilly to marry me."
Lucas wasn't expecting that. "When did you do that?"
"A long time ago; when we told our parents about Jenny. I knew we couldn't at the time, it was more like a promise."
Lucas poured a cup of coffee. "And what did she say?"
"No, of course. We were still together but she didn't want to marry me. Not yet is what she said."
They both remained silent while they both thought about marriage until Lucas's curiosity took hold of him again. Jillian, though she did not come right out and tell Lucas in so many words, obviously was still in love with Jake. The fair date proved that the only person Jill wanted was Jake.
Lucas didn't know if Jake had this knowledge about Jillian and it was driving him crazy not to know. He had moved onto Peyton so it was not jealously; not anymore at least. He was looking out for Jillian at the same time that he was looking out for himself. If Jake was interested in Jilly, than Luke didn't have to worry about Jake still loving Peyton.
"Is there anything going on between you guys now?"
Luke had it seem as casual as he could, while he served up muffins to a guy that looked like a painter, paint splashed all over his clothes, and taking money from another couple, leaving the Cafe.
Jake didn't know how to answer. "What do you mean?"
"You know, you and Peyton aren't together anymore- she told me the story. Do you want to get back together with Jillian?"
Jake never underestimated Luke because of how smart he was. Lucas had put him in a trap and he had to answer truthfully or he would look like an ass, and it would probably get back to Jillian and that would be hard to explain. But he found a way out; sarcasm.
"Yeah, we figure Jen's old enough, we should give her a little brother or sister." Lucas laughed, not bothering to ask again.
Jake took the conversation in his own direction to inquire about Luke and Peyton. "Speaking of, how's it going with Peyt? Serious now?"
Part of Jake wanted him to say that it wasn't serious, wanted Lucas to say that he was cheating on Peyton, that he didn't really care about her, or that he was just using her for something. Jake wanted to hear something bad from Lucas so he could have a real reason to not like him being with Peyton. He wasn't sure why he felt like this but it didn't sit easy in his own conscience.
"It's going good. For once, I feel like we are on the same page." Luke didn't want to elaborate; it was not good to give the ex boyfriend too many details.
"This is awkward." Jake said after a few moments. "How about we never talk about each other's girls ever again like that?"
"Agreed."
Luke got back to filling a try with cookies and loaf cakes, realizing with a smile on his face that Jake revealed something vital that he didn't even realize he let out. He called Jillian his girl; Lucas knew there was something going on there but did not have the proof to end his speculation.
It made Luke happy to know that they were together. No, scratch that; he was happy for them because they were happy. Jake, before seemed brooding and unsatisfied with his life now seemed like a different guy. He wasn't happy that he had to find happiness with Jillian and vice versa. Why couldn't she find it with him?
And why did it bother him so much?
"Can you say, Auntie Brooke?" Brooke was waving a teething ring in front of Jenny's face while she held her. "Now she wants to be quiet?"
"I think it'll take her awhile to master names. I think vowel sounds are as good as it gets for now."
"She's lucky she is so damn cute that it doesn't matter that she can't talk." Brooke was talking toward Jenny "Boys don't care if you have anything to say anyways."
"Don't teach her these things too early."
The three were walking down the sidewalk on Main Street, Jillian pushing the empty stroller. They were walking toward the Cafe when both Jake and Lucas emerged from the doors. Peyton walked fast ahead the girls to catch up to Lucas and give him a hello kiss. Brooke rolled her eyes and handed Jenny back to Jillian.
Jake came over to his own two girls and poked Jenny on the nose to make her giggle.
"Say Da Da again."
"She's not talking right now." Brooke said flatly as Jake was bending down to kiss Jillian, Brooke watching intently, until he realized, looking into her wide eyes, he forgot that they were not alone and people that did not know were around. He pretended he was going to kiss Jenny on the top of the head, though he knew he did not fool Brooke.
"I knew you two were together!"
Jilly looked over at her friend. "Peyton!"
"I didn't say anything."
Jillian and Jake both looked confused. "Who told you we were together Brooke?"
Brooke smiled. "You just did, right now."
Everyone laughed. "I'm not saying anything more."
"Ba Ba Ba Ba" Jenny piped in since nobody else was adding to the conversation. Jake took Jenny out of Jillian's arms and raised her above his head.
"That's my girl."
Though Peyton and Lucas, standing holding hands was blocking most of her view of the street beyond them, she saw someone walking in the other direction that looked familiar, though she could not place it right away. She was a little shorter than the pair so to see over their shoulders that were side by side, Jillian stood on the tips of her toes and peered down the street.
A smile appeared on her face. "Denny!"
The mystery man turned around, just as the group turned to see who Jillian was yelling at. He smiled as well, seeing who was calling him. He started to walk towards them until Jillian broke out in a run and jumped into the arms of this stranger. They walked back together, the sounds of them both saying they look the same and how long it had been since they saw each other last.
"Everyone this is Denny. He's my younger older brother. He acts like he is five."
"Do not!"
"I didn't know you had a brother. Brooke Davis." She winked at him. He was her usual type; dark hair, tall, muscular, and rich. But unlike her usual type, he was intelligent and a kind person. He dressed in a manor that made his rich parents happy; he looked dignified and much older than he was. He looked like a business man getting ready to go down to the country club.
"He's like a brother. His mother was just as religious as mine."
"My mother was always leaving me with Jill while they did their functions and stuff for church."
"Sorry, this is Lucas and Peyton and you remember Jake. This Denny character is named Denver Stanford Parker."
"Don't forget the third, Jilly." He shook everyone's hands and shook Jake's last. "Hey, you two are still together?" He looked between them, standing together, Jake holding onto his daughter with his other arm around Jillian. They both shrugged their shoulders. "You guys didn't get married or anything did you?"
Everyone laughed but Denny wasn't in on the joke. Jillian contained her laughter enough to spill out the news of Nathan and Haley before he himself started laughing.
"This must be the apple that was of your eye, Jilly Willy." Denny took Jenny into his own arms and looked at the baby. "You changed a lot of lives, little one. What is her name again?"
"Her name is Jenny." Jake took her out of his arms and placed her back into the stroller. Everyone noticed that Jake was not happy with Denny being here, most of all Jilly sensed that he was very unhappy with the way that he was acting towards them as a couple with a child. Jillian wanted to break the tension.
"So what are you doing here in Tree Hill?"
"I had a break from school; I go to Clemson now."
"How ironic that a guy named Stanford ended up going to Clemson." Jillian stated.
"Well wouldn't it be awkward to name a kid Clemson?"
"Why don't you head back to the house with us so that we can catch up?"
"That'd be great. God, the last time I saw you, or rather spoke to you since your mother had you on lock down, was the time after this one was born, right before you mother said you weren't living there anymore. Did you two move in together or something?"
There was going to be a lot of explanation involved in this guest's visit. Brooke, Peyton, and Lucas all walked away in the other direction, seeing the look of throwing fire with his eyes that Jake was projecting at Denny.
