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 21

"A relationship is like a rose, How long it lasts, no one knows; Love can erase an awful past, Love can be yours, you'll see at last; To feel that love, it makes you sigh, To have it leave, you'd rather die; You hope you've found that special rose, 'Cause you love and care for the one you chose." - Rob Cella

They were lying down on the checkered picnic sheets in Central Park enjoying the sunny weekend. It was late afternoon, the only time both of them could get away from their families and friends long enough without any of them worrying. It had been two weeks since their meeting at Promotex and steadily but surely, their friendship was developing into something dangerous and deceitful. But even so, Nathan couldn't help but be entranced by her. She was intelligent, witty, and down to earth, but what most appealed to him was how incredibly real she was. It was something to appreciate when you're a celebrity, to find someone who looked at you and didn't see the stardom. It would have been wonderful if they could just stay friends, and he believed that it was her intention, but for him it wasn't the case. He wanted her in every sense of the word.

"Earth to Nathan, that brooding look doesn't fit you." She said smiling as she sat up. "What were you thinking about?"

He looked at her and sighed. It was about time they had this conversation. "I was thinking about you, about us, about this situation…" He started. "I have a wife." He stated as if both of them weren't already aware of the fact.

She gave him a confused smile. "I know that Nate and I'm pretty sure most of the United States and Europe know it too. What are you trying to say to me?"

Not able to form any words he shook his head in aggravation. "I'm having a beautiful little boy." He said softly. "We're naming him Lucas…did I tell you that?"

She nodded, still not understanding what he was struggling with. "Do you want to call it a day?" She asked puzzled. "You seemed stressed and I don't want to impose…"

"No!" He shouted quite alarmingly, crossing the small picnic blanket to embrace her. "I'm so confused Eliza…"

She stayed in his arms letting him hold her until he composed himself then asked quite bluntly: "what the hell is going on Nate? You're freaking out over the smallest things and you've been distant the whole time we've been here."

"I have a wife and a kid along the way Eliza, I'm a happy self-made millionaire, I have a loving family who cares enough about to put up with the bullshit I constantly pull, I have an awesome publicist that can guarantee no one ever forgets my name, and I'm probably going to be named athlete of the year." He took a breath. "So why is it that even when I'm supposed to be deliriously happy I can't help but think of you?"

She broke away from him, as if she was burned whirling around to face him. "Nathan don't even think about it. I won't be the one that causes any problems in your marriage."

He smiled sadly. "I don't think you have a choice in the matter Eliza, even if you break off this friendship between us I'll still be thinking about you, I'll still be pining after you."

"You love your wife!" She protested hotly.

He nodded. "I love my wife. Haley was the first person to look at me as Nathan Scott the person instead of Nathan Scott the son of Dan Scott."

"Then what is the problem? Why are you doing this?" She asked desperately.

"Because I doubt myself and I doubt my marriage." He said simply. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this Eliza…but you're just bring to light problems that I knew were already there and was just to stubborn to solve on my own."

"You're an idiot." She said.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm always the first one to admit that."

"What exactly did this heart to heart have to do with me?" She asked.

"I need time to think about this, and when I'm done I still want you to be here." He requested honestly.

She laughed hollowly. "I'll be here Nate, as stupid and desperate as that makes me, I'll be here waiting for you because you're my friend."

"You don't think of me as anything else?"

"Of course I do you egotistical jerkwad! You're damn gorgeous and sweet and caring…but I can't act on my feelings and I won't act on my feelings and neither will you because after all is said and done you'll still be with your wife!" She spat.

He pressed an insistent kiss to her lips only to have her break it, eyes filling with tears. "I already said I wouldn't become the other woman. That still stands no matter how I feel about you." She said breathlessly.

"I understand." He murmured.

"Do you? Do you really?" She asked. "Then why is it that you insist on kissing me when you just told me that you need time and space!"

"I don't know…"

She stood up gathering her belongings to Nathan's surprise. "Where are you going?" He asked.

She looked at him as if he was the dumbest person on the earth, and truthfully that's exactly what she was thinking. "I'm going to leave and go back home." She said quite plainly. "And you're going to stop calling me, emailing me, text messaging me, and visiting me until you figure out what in hell you're going to do with you're wife. I refuse to be led on and I refuse to be some other women you can get with whenever it's convenient. I'm not some side dish that's going to be available for stress relief. If and when you come to the decision that you're going to stay with your wife, because I have no doubt that will be the case, I will gladly resume being your friend."

His mouth dropped open surprised written across his face. "Eliza…!"

"Goodbye Nathan." She tossed him a business card that she had been searching for in her purse. "One of my best friends is a marriage counselor, maybe you should consider it."

And with that, she walked off. Elizabeth Davis, if anything was a proud woman and if she had learned anything from her sorry excuse for her mother it was that you never compromised your pride and dignity for no one.

It was night time now and for once the gang wasn't at one of the popular restaurants in New York or at the office. Instead Haley, Brook, Nathan, Nancy, and Lucas were hanging out in Lucas's large penthouse nursing glasses of wine and plates of Brooke's specialty: lasagna.

"Brooke that was amazing." Nancy said positively stuffed. "Why didn't you open up a restaurant instead of starting a magazine? I'm sure you would have made more money."

Brooke arched an eyebrow and giggled at Nancy's antics. "In my next lifetime I'll be sure to heed your advice Nance, until then I'll stick to writing."

"We should go on a vacation." Haley said suddenly.

Lucas looked at her strangely while tightening his grip around Brooke's waist. "Hales…not everyone is off work like you are."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not like you can't take a couple of days off work." She replied. "And Nathan can as well since basketball season is over and Brooke you're senior editor, you can make your own hours!"

"Hales do you need a vacation that bad?" Nancy asked.

"Yes!"

"I think the baby's getting to her." Nathan said smiling as he wrapped his arm more securely around his wife.

"It is not that you jerk!" She said hitting him playfully.

Lucas smiled at his friends and then got up, an odd look on his face. "Hey where you going?" Brooke asked him.

"To get something that I'll think you like." He said.

Everyone stopped their conversations to watch the couple. The trio hadn't seen that twinkle in Lucas's eye before, and now that they had they were interested. Haley smiled knowingly, this was the reason that Lucas had invited everyone over that night. Lucas slipped into the back room and came back with an object in his pocket before giving an appraising glance around the room and dropping to one knee in front of Brooke.

The reaction to that was almost unanimous. Everyone's jaw dropped—hard.

"Luke?" Brooke whispered.

He smiled up at her and took a deep breath. "Two weeks ago I had a revelation." He started. "I finally realized that there is no one in the world that is better suited for me, I was never going to want to give you up, and I could imagine us 10 years from now rehashing our relationship to our kids. It seemed like after all the psycho girlfriends, the problems with work, and losing faith in ever falling I love I met my match and just happened to stumble upon my soul mate at the same time. You're the only woman I've ever dated that has matched me in personality, understood my hectic job, bonded so closely with my family and friends, and stuck with me when it was clear that you should have walked away."

Brooke was crying silently. Words couldn't express what she was feeling right now.

Lucas struggled to keep the tears back as he continued. "When I asked Haley to go ring shopping with me two weeks ago I told her a story about a question Nancy asked me in college…"

"I asked you when you would be able to tell you were ready for marriage." Nancy contributed softly.

He nodded. "I told her that when I finally found the girl of my dreams it'd be the way she talked, the way she looked, the way she walked, and the way she looked at me. It'd be the way I can't get her off my mind and out of my heart. It'd be the longing I felt when I was without her and the joy I felt when I was with her. It'd be the feeling I got when she laughed or cried and the fluttering of my heart when she smiled." He smiled softly. "I told her it'd be the way I thought that I couldn't imagine anyone in that wedding dress, walking up that aisle, and sharing those vows with me than her." (A/N: Yep, direct quote from last chapter)

He took another deep breath. "So I guess what I'm trying to say here and I guess all of you know this is: Brooke Davis, the light of my life, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Brooke let out a choked out sob and launched herself into his arms successfully knocking him to the floor. "Yes you dork! Did you think I'd say anything else?" She said laughing. "I love you so much."

"WOO!" Nathan shouted as Lucas slipped the platinum diamond encrusted engagement ring on her finger. "Little brother is finally getting hitched!"

Brooke scrambled off of him and the three girls went into the kitchen to examine the ring.

"Women!" Nathan cracked shaking his head at them. Lucas leaned back in his seat a content look on his face.

"Well I don't think this day can get any better." He said sighing happily.

It was almost midnight when Nancy left Lucas's penthouse. She was truly happy for her best friend. He had been so unhappy for such a long time, and as soon as he had met Brooke everything had gotten a lot better for him. She had to admit she didn't like Brooke at first, but the woman had grown on her. If Brooke was a little bit braver they would have been carbon copies because Brooke was ridiculously sarcastic and catty when provoked.

Sighing, Nancy hailed a cab and was stunned out of her thoughts as her cell phone rang. "Nancy McAllister speaking, how may I help you?" She answered automatically.

"You're Nathan Scott, the basketball player's publicist right?" The voice asked.

"This is Nancy McAllister, general publicist of Promotex Sports, how may I help you?" She asked again agitated. It was twelve in the morning and for some odd reason one of Nathan's many fans was bothering her. How nice.

"I'm going to take that as a yes."

She sighed impatiently. "I take it you have some important information to tell me otherwise you wouldn't be wasting my time so late at night."

"Mr. Scott is married isn't he?"

"Do you enjoy asking stupid questions? Yes he is married." Nancy answered irritated. "Is this conversation going anywhere? And anyway, who are you?"

"Who I am is of no use to you, but the information I can easily leak to the media is."

"So what exactly do you know?"

"I know that Mr. Scott has been spending an awful lot of time with a young woman named Elizabeth Davis."

"So what they're friends." Nancy said immediately dismissing the implications.

"If that's what you want to call them Ms. McAllister, but the photo evidence I have says otherwise." The caller said smugly. "I just wanted to give you a heads up though, I'm sure you'll hear the rest of the story about these so called 'friends' in US Weekly Monday morning."

"If you already sent this story of yours to US Weekly why did you call me?"

"I figured since you're a friend of the family you'd break the news to Mrs. Scott before she heard it on the street corner. Good night Ms. McAllister, I hope I don't cause too much trouble within the family."

The call disconnected just as the cab pulled up in front of Nancy's apartment building. Inwardly, Nancy let out a long string of curses.

Shit just had to hit the fan when she was about to ask for a vacation.

TBC

A/N: Another short chapter and a long time since I've posted. I'm very sorry for both! For the sake of the story I'm going to try to set a time frame. I've noticed I've been a little vague with the timing that this story takes place. So bare with me as I try to set up a little timeline.

Winter (Around December) – Brooke & Lucas meet.

February – The trip to and from Florida.

May – Starting from Part 20 on…

The point of me setting up the time is to explain why Lucas really isn't rushing into marrying Brooke. According to my now made up timeline, they've been together for about 6 months.