Kingdom for a Kiss by bibleboymary4ever and indiansummer.
Disclaimer: We have no affiliations with Warner Bros. Television Production, One Tree Hill or Tollin/Robbins Productions. Nor do we own any name brands or cars mentioned in this. pause Well, we may own a car, but not the company.
Author's Note: We have been busy working on TreeHillHigh dot net which will relaunch on Friday, June 24. The next chapter will be up very soon as it is almost done.
When he had asked Haley to marry him, Nathan had thought he had it all—his own apartment, a coveted spot on the varsity basketball team and a bright future with the girl who promised she would love him forever. It turned out that was easier said than done.

So when Brooke Davis had called him begging for a ride to the airport, his first instinct had been to shrug it off. After all, she hadn't been there for him since before Lucas joined the team and everything had changed. But something in her voice had made him stop and relent.

He realized why when he reached her house and saw her surrounded by leather luggage and cardboard boxes. Brooke was a mess. Her face was makeup free and her hair loose, bloodshot eyes and blotchy skin giving away the fact that she had been crying.

Nathan helped her load the bags into the trunk of the car before asking what to do with the boxes. "They won't fit, " he added as he glanced at the boxes strewn across her front lawn. There had to be at least twenty of them.

"Yeah, I know. They're being shipped tomorrow." Brooke's voice was quiet and without her usual pep.

Nathan nodded and they climbed into the front of the car. "Why are they outside now then? I thought it was supposed to rain tonight…"

"Um."

"Brooke?" Nathan cocked an eyebrow expectantly at her as he turned onto the freeway.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Okay," Nathan sighed.

"Seriously. Like not even tutor girl."

"Why not?"

"Because! She'll tell Lucas and he'll tell Peyton and they'll launch some retarded expedition to kidnap me and take me back to Tree Hill. Seeing them together? And going back to Tree Hill? Definitely tied for number one on Brooke's never do again list."

"Okay, I get the point. I won't tell anyone why you have cardboard boxes on your lawn—if you ever get around to telling me anyway."

"MymomsortakickedmeoutandIlikehavetogotoLondonandgolivewithmydad."

"What?"

"My Mom kicked me out so I'm going to live with my Dad."

"In London?" The divorce of Alec and Kim Davis had been the talk of the Tree Hill a year and a half ago, and it was no secret that Alec had moved across the ocean to get away from his ex-wife. Nathan choose not to question why Brooke's mother would kick her out- it wasn't a secret Brooke Davis was no angel.

"Yeah." Brooke stared out the window. She didn't want to talk to anyone, at least not right now.

"No shit!" She quickly swished her ponytail around as she glanced at his stunned expression. Nathan continued, "Like six months ago, my Mom signed me up for some foreign exchange program thing. I'm going to London for the second and third trimesters."

"Oh."

Nathan grinned and expected to see Brooke's dimples flashing back at him. Maybe there was a bright side to leaving Haley for six months. After all, no one knew how to have fun like Brooke did.

"You can't come see me, okay?"

"Why not?" Nathan's fantasies of wild nights with Brooke in London vanished.

"You just can't, okay?"

As Nathan pulled onto the highway, Brooke leaned toward Nathan. "I hope I can trust you," she whispered. "Don't tell them."

And he promised himself he wouldn't.

The half hour drive to New Brunswick County Airport passed too quickly. Brooke snuck a glance at Nathan out of the corner of her eye as he pulled into a parking space.

They'd fallen into an uncomfortable silence nearly twenty minutes ago; Brooke because she had nothing more she wanted to say and Nathan because he knew she did.

Brooke pursed her lips as Nathan turned off the car. "Thanks," she said quietly, forcing herself to smile, "For everything, I mean."

Nathan drummed his hand against the steering wheel and looked at her. "I'm going in with you," he said decisively.

Brooke opened her mouth to protest, but Nathan didn't give her a chance. "C'mon, Brooke, like you can carry all these bags in yourself, anyway?"

Brooke heaved a sigh. "Fine."

Nathan nodded, popping open his door. "Are you sure there's nothing else you want to tell me?"

Brooke bit her lip as she unbuckled her seatbelt. 'I'm sixteen and I'm going to be a mother. Your asshole of a brother left me pregnant. I need your help.' Brooke shook her head. "No."

Nathan stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

Brooke watched as he got out of the car before letting her head hit the back of the passenger seat. It was weird to think so much could happen in the space of a year.

Nathan glanced up at the gray sign, the words 'Departure Gates 1-10' written in block lettering. "I guess this is where we say goodbye," he muttered, glancing at the girl he used to consider his best friend.

Brooke nodded, picking her carryon up off the floor. "Yeah, I guess so."

"If you need anything..."

"Just call. I know." Brooke offered Nathan a half-smile. "I'll be fine."

Nathan nodded. "You always are."

"Yeah..." Brooke trailed off, her expression suddenly serious, as she searched Nathan's eyes. "Nathan, promise you won't tell anyone about this."

Nathan sighed. Once he and Brooke had been best friends- friends who didn't keep anything from each other. And now he had no idea what was going on in her life. "About what?"

Brooke smirked. "Thanks." She shifted uncomfortably, obviously unsure about how to say goodbye. "I'll keep in touch," she said, awkwardly holding out her hand.

Nathan took her hand and made to shake it, but instead pulled Brooke to him, wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. "I'm going to miss you, Pooh Bear."

"I'll miss you, too, Christopher Robin," Brooke murmured against his shirt.

Nathan squeezed her shoulders and kissed the crown of her head before pulling away. "I don't want to make you miss your plane."

Brooke nodded, tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said again, taking a step backward toward the gate. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Nathan nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. He watched as Brooke disappeared from his sight before turning away. There was something oddly permanent about this.

Flying economy class was new to Brooke, but the arrangements had been made in such haste that 20F was the only available seat on the departing plane.

She glanced at the woman sitting next to her. She'd introduced herself as Aimee, and was probably only a few years older than Brooke herself. Her hair was long and dark, and there was something oddly vacant about her gaze. Ten minutes into the flight, though, Aimee had put on her headphones and halted any attempt at further conversation.

Brooke cleared her throat loudly and Aimee glanced at her, an eyebrow raised. She removed the headphones hesitantly, glancing at Brooke suspiciously. "What?"

Her voice was pleasant enough, Brooke figured. "Have you ever been to London before?"

Aimee shook her head. "Nah. I just needed an escape from New Brunswick. You?"

Brooke sighed. "Same here, only Tree Hill."

Aimee scrunched her nose up. "Tree Hill? That's that snotty rich town like, forty minutes away, isn't it?"

Brooke laughed despite herself. "Yeah."

"Oh." Aimee frowned, cocking her head to look at Brooke. "You look like crap. No offense."

"None taken," Brooke muttered. "I feel like crap."

Aimee frowned. "Nothing left for you in Tree Hill, huh?"

"Why would you assume that?"

Aimee's laugh was oddly harsh. "Well, Brooke, this is the plane of heartbreak. Just look around you. No one in their right mind takes a redeye flight to London on a Monday, y'know?"

Brooke sighed, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

Aimee smirked. "Of course I am," she said, holding up a hand and flagging down a flight attendant. "Can I have something to drink? Anything with alcohol?" she asked the stewardess, taking out her ID. Turning to Brooke, she added, "Do you want anything."

Brooke shook her head quickly.

"Oh, you're one of those."

"One of what?"

"The good girls. You wake up one day and realize the world's not perfect and you can't deal. Loss of innocence is hard on your type, huh?" The words were harsh, but Aimee's tone was oddly soothing.

Brooke shook her head. "No, I'm the other type."

Aimee frowned. "What's that?"

"The girl who gets cheated on by her boyfriend with her best friend and then finds out she's pregnant." It felt oddly good to get it out, even if it was just to some random girl she'd met on a plane.

Aimee sucked in her breath and then shook her head. "Damn."

Brooke nodded. "Yeah. Damn."