Chapter Seventy-Four

"To Brooke and Mouth!" came the low rumbling of ten people speaking at once. We raised our glasses of champagne (mine was ginger-ale) and drank.

After the celebration dinner was over, the crowd began to mill around the house. We were at my parent's house, and the crowd wasn't exactly large-us, the Scotts, Lucy, Kylie, Mouth, Brooke, Lucas and Karen and Keith.

Two weeks ago, Lucas had had his stomach pumped for almost overdosing. He was going to rehab in the morning, one of the reasons the party was tonight.

Guiltily, I crept up to a room with a half closed door that I'd recently seen Brooke enter.

"What were you trying to say, the night you tried to kill yourself?" she demanded. Through the crack in the door, I saw his blonde head look up sharply.

"Nothing," he said quietly.

"That's not true. I've known you for twenty years Luke, you'd think you could tell the truth to me," she pressed.

"Brooke, I'm in love with you," he admitted. I forced myself to not gasp as she leaned down and kissed him. A real kiss. Not a peck.

"Part of me will always love you, Lucas Scott. The other part of me is married," she said sadly, departing the room.

She exited the room and turned right. I flattened myself against the wall, but she saw me anyway. To my relief, she giggled.

"You little snoop. Come on, we have to find Haley and Peyton. I have the oddest feeling that you have something to tell us," she said mysteriously.

"He did what do you?" asked my mother, fifteen minutes later, as the four of us sat around a table.

"Don't make her repeat it," cautioned Haley. In a heartbeat, she was up from the table with her arms around me.

"And you're pregnant?" asked Brooke.

"Yeah. Sawyer said he'd raise it to be his, no matter what," I said. Looking up at Haley, I saw a look of pride flash through her face.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Brooke. I looked up at her, and displayed my thoughts in my eyes for a second. Why didn't you tell us, Brooke? About Lucas, and the hotel room? About Antonio and the abuse? About all your lies?

Brooke looked down, but not before Mom noticed and looked sideways at her with an analytical look.

"When's it due?" asked Mom at last.

"July," I said.

"I'm happy for you," said Haley suddenly.

"Thanks," I whispered.

After a moment of silence, I stood and walked away from them. They pretended they understood, but they didn't. No one did.

These thoughts flew from my head as I passed the same bedroom I'd seen Lucas and Brooke in.

Two weeks ago, I'd thought Lucy Turner-Scott had had a change of heart.

I thought she'd given up on backstabbing.

I thought she'd grown more compassionate.

I thought she'd given up on John Fenning.

As it turned out, none of these things were even remotely true.

I squeezed Tess' hand as she came up behind me and saw her aunt make out with the surrogate father of her child. The man who had come to mean everything to her, romantically or not. The man who protected her, listened to her, cared for her always. The man that was her best chance of happily ever after.

The man that, as it turned out, was only a boy in disguise.

Author's note: It is time now to make an announcement none of you want to hear. At least, hopefully. I've always said this was a trilogy, and I'm keeping with that. I've taken this idea as far as it will go. In fact, I've taken it considerably farther. I already have an idea for a Naley fic (don't ask about it, it's going to be a surprise. It's only known to a select few) and a plan for a one shot sequel to my one shot, Nevermore, and perhaps a one shot sequel to this so you can check up on everyone. In addition to the Gilmore Girls fic (which doesn't exactly have a plot…) that I'm trying to write, and the OC fic I've been mentioning for a while. So very soon we're going to have to say goodbye to Sawyer and Callie.