Equal But Opposite Reaction
By: Sari
Disclaimer: No, I don't own OTH. If I did Brooke and Lucas would be back together and Felix would be in a ditch somewhere. Haley wouldn't be going insane and she and Nathan would be back together.
Summary: AU Brucas. Successful bachelor Lucas Scott meets hard to get, feminist Brooke Davis and a rollercoaster ride occurs as both begin to fall in love.
Part 2
"There's a miracle of friendship that
dwells within the heart
And you don't know how it happens
or where it gets its start
But the happiness it brings you
always gives a special lift
Any you realize that friendship
Is God's most perfect gift."
- Anon.
Haley Scott, Grammy award winning musician and wife of the incorrigible Nathan Scott opened the door and hugged her best friend who was standing on the other side. "Glad you could make it, I was beginning to think I wouldn't be seeing you even though you promised."
Lucas gave her an apologetic smile, once again cursing his job for the hours he held. "I'm sorry Hales, I know I haven't seen you or Nate in a couple of weeks but work is killing me and after I acquire this new contract it'll probably get even worse."
They walked into the living room and joined Nathan who was currently on the telephone with Nancy if Lucas had to guess. He waved to his brother before scribbling down something on the paper that read "go in the kitchen, I'll meet you there."
"Who is he talking to?" Lucas asked Haley.
She rolled her eyes. "Nance, they've been at it for two hours now. He's going to do a press conference answering some of the stupid questions that the press has had about our supposedly shaky marriage."
Lucas whistled low shaking his head at his brother's behavior. Nathan was a good man, that much was true, but he had a habit of getting himself into trouble in places where the media would easily be able to twist around the story and use it to his disadvantage. His constant partying while Haley was away had been a source of media news and problems in their marriage since they had gotten married.
Sitting down at the table he shoveled out some of the food lying out before turning towards Haley. "Was Nance able to suppress all the tabloids that are running the stories?"
Haley nodded. "Every single one of them. She did her 'I'll take you to court and wish you never met me' act and they pretty much caved."
Lucas smiled. "That's why I hired her; she's good at the intimidation."
"You had that meeting today with the Filly girl, how'd it go?" She asked. "Did she manage to win you over?"
"In more ways than one." Lucas said smiling. "We're going out for dinner tomorrow night to continue our meeting."
"Isn't that usually a bad sign? Whenever you have these meetings you get them done in like a half hour. You're going out again with this…" Haley trailed off as a light bulb went off. "You like her don't you?"
"I like what I saw so far. She made it clear she wasn't the type to date potential clients so I figured if I just dragged the meeting out I'd get to know more about her."
Haley laughed loudly. "Lucas you're impossible, you meet women in the strangest places." She ate a spoonful of her mashed potatoes looking thoughtfully at him. "Whatever happened to the heartbreak you supposedly have over Girl #15? You wouldn't go out with Tay because of that."
Lucas pulled a disgusted face. "Hales, no offense because I love you, but Taylor is absolutely insane. You're the only girl in your family besides your mom who is actually normal."
"So are you signing the contract with the Filly girl or not?"
"I already had it drawn up by my lawyer, all I need to do is bring it to dinner and both of us can sign it. Hopefully I can get it to turn into something more." Lucas said in a hopeful tone.
"Get what to turn into something more?" Nathan asked walking into the kitchen. He hung the phone back up and sat down heavily in the chair next to his wife, dropping a chaste kiss on her head.
"Lucas likes the Filly editor he met today." Haley said returning her husband's kiss.
Nathan started laughing. "Bro, you meet chicks in the strangest places."
Lucas rolled his eyes and threw a piece of his muffin at Nathan. "You and Haley are starting to grow the same brain. Remind me never to get married."
Haley stop eating and a serious look appeared on her face. "Lucas you're not serious right? Sometime I think you are the way you go through women. I want you to be happy, and I know you're not."
Lucas put on a brave face for Haley's sake, even though he knew the girl could read him no matter how many walls he may put up. "Hales I'm fine and no I'm not serious. You don't have to worry about me, I'll find the right person when the right person comes along."
He avoided her gaze knowing that if he looked into her concerned brown eyes he would lose this battle. Instead he turned to his brother and was met with the same concerned look. "I'm not going to win this am I?" He asked defeated.
Nathan grinned. "No you're not. We worry about you Luke, you're my brother and Hales is your best friend. We just want to help, god knows how much you've helped both of us in the past."
"You two worry too much, I'm fine and one day I'll find someone that I can settle down with but with the way my job works not a lot of women I meet can understand how important it is to me. They get fed up and leave."
Haley sighed, sensing that Lucas was getting tired of this conversation. She could feel the tension practically crackling off of him. "I still think you should try a date with Taylor." She joked.
Lucas groaned. "Taylor is a crazy stalker that won't go away. Tell her I'm not interested please!"
Haley chuckled. "No can do Scott, Taylor doesn't take no for an answer."
-
Brooke groaned as she surveyed her closet. She had basically everything a woman would need to go out but she was having a dilemma. This was supposed to be, no matter what she or Lucas may want, a business dinner. Because of the fact that it was a business dinner she should dress conservatively, but something inside of her was yearning to make an impression on him just like he had made an impression on her the day before.
She glanced at the clock and cursed the red numbers, it would be only an hour until he would arrive. He had already called her two hours earlier to tell her they would be attending a party first (he had insisted it was mandatory for him and he didn't want to cancel their meeting), and then afterwards they would go to a simple restaurant across the street.
She suppressed a scream and picked up her house phone. "Peyton I need help, I have an hour and no idea what to wear."
She heard Peyton chuckle over the phone. "I'll be there in ten minutes try to narrow it down to something."
Brooke nodded to herself returning the phone to the cradle before turning back to her closet. She figured she would leave that to Peyton and went to the bathroom to start on her hair and makeup.
Ten minutes later Brooke was putting on the finishing touches to her makeup when Peyton used her key to open the door. "Brooke?"
"In the bedroom." She called. Peyton walked into the bedroom and laughed at the state of her room. "Indecisive much Brooke?" She giggled and then looked at the closet. "So what am I working with here? What type of look are you going for?"
"Conservative yet sexy." Brooke decided.
Peyton sized up her closet before randomly picking out different pieces. Together they narrowed down the choices until Brooke was satisfied with her outfit. Brooke ended up wearing a tapered black skirt with a white and black striped blouse that neckline dipped dangerously low. To complete the ensemble she wore stiletto heels and a black pullover.
"Peyton you're amazing." Brooke said. The doorbell rang and Brooke gasped, she didn't notice the time fly so quickly. "Peyton answer the door and pretend to be my roommate!"
Peyton looked at her strangely but complied. "Whatever, at least I get a chance to see him."
Peyton opened the door and surveyed him Brooke had been underestimating the man's look. He was more than gorgeous. The tailored black suit he wore hung off of him in just the right places and it seemed to amplify the man's apparent sex appeal. "Hi, you must be Lucas Scott?" She asked.
"The one and only, I guess you're the roommate?"
She nodded. "Peyton Sawyer. Why don't you come in, Brooke will be right out."
Sure enough as soon as Lucas got settled on the couch Brooke came waltzing out and by his reaction she knew that Peyton had did good work. She blushed as he gave her an appreciative stare. "You look beautiful Brooke."
"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself Lucas."
Peyton covered her hand over her mouth in an effort to stop her laughter. Brooke was insane if she didn't notice the sparks that went off immediately between the two. She watched them leave, Brooke throwing her head back as she laughed at one of the man's jokes. Right then and there she knew that Brooke was losing a worthless battle against love.
Brooke smiled at him as he opened the door to his car to let her in. "So what is this party for?"
"Some benefit I'm supposed to make an appearance at because I'm the agent to half the athletes that will be there." He said. "You'll get to meet my brother and best friend, not that it makes any difference."
"Since you've met my roommate it's only fair I would get to meet some important people in your life as well."
He grinned. "Peyton wasn't your roommate."
She looked at him in surprise. "What makes you think that?"
"You're apartment was too small, unless you're sharing a bedroom or she sleeps on the couch that is virtually impossible."
Brooke blushed not enjoying being caught in a lie. "Alright, so she's not my roommate. She is my best friend though."
Lucas nodded. "Of course, I kind of figured."
"Have you given any thought to the contract?"
"Business doesn't start until we get to dinner Brooke, so why don't you enjoy yourself at the party and we'll talk about the contract later."
He pulled up in front of the party and handed his keys to valet before helping her out of the car. "Let the night begin."
Magical was one word Brooke could use to describe the party and charming was one word she would use to describe Lucas. He worked that party like he was born to do it and dragged her along with him. Every person he met asked him if she was his girlfriend and she was amazed at his ability to brush the question off and still leave the person wanting more when they left. She was amazed by him in general, even between the talks with other celebrities and sports agents he managed to keep her entertained with jokes and dancing.
They stopped in front of a handsome couple. The tall man was engaged in a conversation with the pretty red head, but they stopped as soon as they spotted them. The red head moved to hug him and Brooke couldn't stop the twinge of jealousy she felt as Lucas and the girl bonded. Smiling politely she waited to be introduced.
"Brooke Davis this is my best friend Haley James and my brother Nathan Scott."
Brooke suddenly felt really ridiculous for feeling jealous, it's not like she had any claim over him, he was just a client she had to win over. "Nice to meet you, aren't you the musician who does the soundtrack for all those movies?" She asked vaguely, knowing she had heard the name before.
Haley nodded and smiled. "That would be me."
"It's very nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Nathan took her hand in his and kissed her on the back of her hand. "Pleasure to meet you Miss Davis, beautiful woman like you shouldn't be anywhere near my dud of a brother."
Haley hit him in the arm smiling. "Don't forget your wife is standing right here Nathan, at least wait until I'm gone before you start making passes at her!"
Lucas laughed. "I've made my rounds so I think Brooke and I are going to go." He paused and turned to Brooke. "Unless you feel like staying any longer."
Brooke shook her head. "I think an hour is enough for me. We should probably go I don't want to be out too late."
Lucas nodded, and kissed Haley on the cheek and patted his brother on the back. "We're going you guys, if anyone asks for me tell them I got sick and had to leave early."
Nathan laughed. "Always avoiding those responsibilities bro."
Lucas rolled his eyes before guiding Brooke out of the room. As promised they went to a little café across the street from the party's whereabouts so there was no need to get the car from the valet. She smiled at the homey atmosphere of the café and was thankful she didn't feel overdressed.
"Did you enjoy the benefit?" He asked her as he shrugged off his coat jacket. He waved over the waiter and he arrived with two menus for them to look at.
"Very much, you seem like you enjoy your job." She said.
"It has its good sides and its down sides, I work late and I'm constantly getting called away by a client but I get to meet pretty ladies like you all the time."
She blushed which Brooke could already foresee becoming a regular occurrence that night. "Flattery goes a long way in your field doesn't it? I'm sure you must used to throwing out the compliments."
"No I only do it for special people. You happen to be one of them."
They waiter came then and Lucas broke eye contact with her as he ordered his food. She did the same while trying to calm her nerves. She didn't want to let him get to her. The waiter left again and they were left once again to themselves.
"Why don't we get the business portion out of the way, I want to get to know you." Lucas said brandishing some papers from an inside pocket. He smoothed them out and placed them in front of her. "I did have some time to think it over, you impressed me so much that I went ahead and got my lawyer to draw up some papers."
She smiled happily. "Thank you Lucas." She reached for her purse and put her wire-rimmed black glasses on before skimming the contract one, then going back and reading it thoroughly. Satisfied with the terms she saw she pulled out a pen and signed it.
Lucas did the same and the deal was complete, Filly magazine as well as all of its affiliates had interviewing rights to all of Promotex's athletes. Brooke grinned, she had gotten her job done.
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way can we get to know each other a little more?" Lucas asked.
Despite what her heart was telling her Brooke shook her head. "Lucas I don't think that's possible. I already told you I don't date clients."
"Technically." He said. "I'm not your client anymore, I'm your partner."
She smiled at that. "How about we start off with just being friends?"
"You see friends, that's something I can do. Completely cutting myself off from you, isn't something I think I could handle."
"Again with the flattery, you're really rather good at it."
He smiled coyly. "Am I having an effect on you?"
They're food arrived then and Brooke thanked whoever was her savior for the night for the interruption. She didn't think she wanted to answer that question. They ate in silence occasionally commenting on the food or on people arriving. When they were both done, Brooke suddenly felt like prolonging the time they were spending together, she was enjoying his company immensely.
She ordered desert for both of them to Lucas's amusement she noticed and then decided to question him some more.
"Since we're doing this whole friendship thing how about you tell me a little bit more about yourself?"
"Only if you return the favor." He answered.
She nodded and he settled back in his chair to begin his story. "I told you already that I grew up in Palm Beach, Florida. My dad, Dan Scott was also really big on sports, but during college he got into an accident that basically nixed his chances of going pro ever. He basically took out his dreams on Nathan and me, constantly pushing us towards becoming athletes so we'd accomplish what he couldn't. Nathan and I didn't like the idea of that so we rebelled and Dan cut us off."
She wrinkled her nose at that. "What do you mean cut you off?"
"He kicked us out the house and told us when we figured out that he was right we could come back and live with him." Lucas laughed at the memory. "It was terrible at first, going from being one of the richest folks in town to living with my mother who wasn't that well off. It wasn't a pleasant experience but Nathan and I was determined to make it without Dan's help and as you can see we did."
"Do you ever talk to him now?"
Lucas smiled sadly. "Dan will probably stay mad at me for the rest of his life, but he still talks to Nathan."
Brooke was confused at this. "I don't understand, both of you rebelled but he only talks to Nathan?"
"That's another long story that would take another date to tell." He said. "So what about you? Tell me something else about your past."
Brooke took a spoonful of her ice cream and thought about what she could tell him. "I grew up without my parents. They were always gone off on some vacation leaving me with the nanny and way too much time on my hands with little to no authority. So I became the bad child. I drank, took drugs, and basically did anything I could think of to get my parents attention."
"Did it work?" He asked.
Brooke snorted. "No, they just thought that I needed some more money to keep me busy so they gave me a larger bank account."
She sighed rubbing her eyes. "Are you tired?" Lucas asked.
She smiled at him. "Yes, but I'm having too much fun with you."
Lucas grinned at that. "How about I drop you home and you can have some more fun with me tomorrow?"
"That sounds good." She agreed. "You've taken me out two times already so why don't I plan what we'll do tomorrow?"
He cocked his head slightly. "No shopping or overly girly things please!"
"Never, I wouldn't want to put a damper on your masculinity." Brooke said sarcastically.
He laughed and helped her up. "Shall we go Miss Davis?"
"I think we shall Mr. Scott."
TBC
A/N: Reviews are my drug as usual. I got a great response to the first chapter and prologue so expect to see updates coming a little faster.