Warring Emotions

By: Sari

Disclaimer: One Tree Hill is not mine. If I had enough money I'd probably buy it just so I could get rid of half the characters on the show.

Summary: "Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up." - James Baldwin. The sequel to This Time Around.

7: When It Comes

I started up my hollow

A piece of wood to follow

A day that doesn't come to the lucky

And I realize there's tomorrow

But I would rather wallow in the rain

Than moods that seem so potlucky

"Oh shit" Lucas said giggling and swaying slightly. "I should have called Brooke."

"We're forgetting about Brooke remember?" Madison said resolutely fumbling to open her hotel room door. "God that was fun though wasn't it?"

Lucas nodded immediately regretting it as his head started to pound. "Damn how much did we drink?"

Madison started to count getting bored after she passed 10 shots each. "Let's just say too much."

She finally managed to open the door and they both stumbled inside her hotel room. "I'll get you blankets and stuff." She said making her way slowly down the hall. "Remind me to never drink again."

"Will do!" Lucas said brightly. Sinking down onto the couch held his aching head in his hands. After Madison had called him while he had been wandering around they had met each other at a local music club and bar where they had basically drank their troubles away. Lucas had enjoyed it, in a strictly platonic sense; he hadn't felt any attraction towards Madison even though she was beautiful. His heart was still in Brooke's hands.

Madison came back out holding pillows and a blanket. "I've hit the jackpot!"

Lucas laughed. "Thanks Madison. So come on sit down, we spent most of the night running from our problems, let's talk about them. What happened today between you and Nate?"

Madison groaned. "We broke up, or actually I broke up with him and pushed him out the door to go find Haley. I think that was the hardest thing I've ever done."

"Ouch that must've hurt, but think of it this way at least you're not playing second best anymore."

She sighed. "Logically I know its better this way, but my heart just hurts so much." Her eyes filled with tears and Lucas brushed them away. "It'll get better." He promised.

She nodded allowing him to wrap his arms around her. "Tell me about Brooke." She requested.

"I got an offer a couple weeks before we came to New York from the basketball coach at the University of Miami. He offered to get me a full scholarship and pay for room and board for both Brooke and myself if I played for the team. He's pretty confident that with both Nathan and I on the team UM will be better." Lucas said twisting her hair around his finger. "I told Brooke and she said it was fine but today she brought it up again and basically said she wasn't going to move and I was being selfish for even suggesting the idea."

"Well…" Madison started. "That couldn't be what made you storm out the room. It's an argument yeah, but it's not so serious."

"She said that I was being stupid for not spending the money Dan left for me."

"Why aren't you using his money?" Madison asked confused. "From what Nathan said, Dan was more than well off."

Lucas shrugged. "It's complicated."

"Try to explain it to me."

"I don't know." Lucas said softly. "Brooke doesn't understand how hard it was to grow up in Tree Hill with a reputation hanging over your head. I was always expected to be some type of screw up because I wasn't the kid the illustrious Dan Scott chose to stay with. Then when I get thrown into his world I constantly have to prove myself to him and to everyone else because it's not possible for the bastard child to ever make something of himself. It may be silly and I may not have to prove myself to Dan anymore, but I have to try to do this without his help if I ever want to gain respect for myself. I need to know I can survive without falling back on the Scott family name."

"Why didn't you tell this to Brooke instead of leaving?"

"I couldn't deal with it at the time. It hurt that she didn't even want to understand my reasoning."

"So what are you going to do?"

He looked down at the floor. "I don't know Madison, I just want to forget for now. Can we do that?"

Madison turned around in his arms and nodded. Hesitantly, she tilted her head and gave him a soft kiss, waiting for him to respond before deepening it.

Lucas broke the kiss and frowned. "That was…"

"Horribly wrong?" Madison guessed. "It's okay Luke, you love Brooke, and in the morning you are going to go find her and you two are going to solve this."

Madison got up and smiled at him before heading into her room. "Madison?" He called.

She paused waiting for him to continue. "Thank you"

"You're welcome Luke."

And I'll let you know

When it comes, when it comes

I'll let you know

But don't stay up for me

Don't wait up for me if I'm not home, yeah

Kali opened the door to a red-eyed Brooke who immediately pushed past her to look around her house. She watched amused as Brooke searched the house but the smile quickly disappeared as Brooke turned to face her, tears pouring down her face. "Where is he?" She asked.

"I'm going to guess that we're talking about Lucas." Kali said. "He's not here. Why would he be?"

"We got in a fight and he left last night and didn't come home."

Kali raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like classic Lucas. What happened?"

Brooke sat on the couch and wiped away still falling tears. "It's a long story, but basically I made a reference to him being a selfish prick and being idiotic about not spending Dan's money and he got pissed and left and now I don't know where he is."

"Have you tried Nathan's?" Kali suggested. "I'll call him now."

Brooke nodded. "Thank you Kali."

Sighing, Kali reached for her cell phone and dialed Nathan's cell. "Hey Nate"

"Kali." Nathan said sleepily. "You do know that it's only six in the morning right?"

"I do, but I have a sobbing Brooke in front of me telling me that Lucas didn't come home last night after their fight and in order to do damage control I need to figure out where he is. So is he with you?"

"Nope, I'm at Haley's."

Kali rolled her eyes. "We'll talk about that statement after I find my best friend. See you."

She disconnected and gave Brooke a cheerful grin. "We're going to find him and beat sense into both of your heads."

Searching through her phonebook again Kali dialed Lucas's number. "Lucas Scott answer this damn phone!" She growled as the phone continued to ring. Kali almost jumped for joy when she heard his groggy voice. "Where the hell are you?" She yelled. "Do you know how worried your girlfriend was about you? I don't care how badly you guys fought you still should have some common courtesy!"

"Shit Kali would you just shut the hell up. I don't need you mothering me." He responded coldly.

"Yeah well when you start acting like a child someone needs to be the adult." She bit back. "Where are you?"

"None of your business." He replied stubbornly. "Tell Brooke I'll meet her at our hotel."

"You sound hung over." Kali remarked.

"That's because I am, not that it's any of your business." Lucas said. "Goodbye Kali, tell her what I said."

Kali cursed and looked at Brooke whose tears had finally stopped. "Well good news is he's not dead."

"And the bad news?' Brooke asked.

"He was obviously hung over and refused to tell me where he was."

"Great." Brooke said sarcastically. "Is he going back to the hotel now?"

"That's what he said." Kali said ushering her towards the door. "Call me with the details after you guys battle it out."

Brooke nodded and Kali shut the door.

"Well fuck" She muttered.

So wait for fate to find me

A ball of string unwind me

Uncomfortable as a centerfold, yeah

And I realize you're behind me

To help and humankind me

To see my songs can be retold

Nathan closed his cell phone and smiled at Haley. "They found him."

Haley sighed. "Where was he? Jeez, Lucas and his impulsive behavior are going to get him killed."

"He wouldn't tell Kali where he was but Brooke's promised to tell Kali what happened when they're done making up or whatever." He said. "So can we get back to us and our making up?" He teased.

Haley giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "I thought we were already made up?"

"I wouldn't mind doing a little more…" He trailed off suggestively. "I heard that make up sex is phenomenal."

She laughed and punched him lightly. "You Mr. Scott are not getting me into bed that fast."

He pouted. "What did you think all this confessing was for?" He said cheekily.

Haley laughed and kissed him on the mouth this time. "I missed you so much." She moaned against his lips.

"I missed you too." He said. "You have to update me on your life now."

She settled back against the pillows on the bed. "Nothing really spectacular going on. I'm struggling through school and working at the hospital. You know both of that already."

"How'd you get into a relationship with Chris?" Nathan asked.

She rolled over. "Do we have to talk about that?"

"It'd put me more at ease." He said softly.

She intertwined his fingers in her own and sighed softly. "Chris and I getting together was purely for business only. I never had any feelings for him; I never will have feelings for him. But one day his agent said that record producers were looking for a pair that could do believable love songs. For Chris, it was a start. At least we'd be in the door so he pitched it to me and said if I wanted to ever become somebody in the music business I would follow along."

Nathan brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed them, silently urging her to continue. "So, eventually it just stuck and we became intimate. I didn't want to waste the rest of my life pining over my ex-husband so I used Chris to try to get over you." She smiled weakly at him. "At the time it seemed like a good idea."

"And now?" He murmured.

"It's was a stupid thing to do." Haley admitted. "And I'll never let anyone manipulate me like that again."

"You can trust me." Nathan promised. "I love you Hales…so much, and I'm not going to hurt you again."

She smiled and buried her face in his chest. "I trust you Nate, always."

Well, I'll be gone tomorrow

Yes, I'm on the road tomorrow

So, next time that I see you in school

It won't be for too long

Brooke hesitantly pulled the door open not quite knowing what she would find inside. She couldn't remember the last time she and Lucas got in a fight so bad that he was forced to leave.

Actually she could, it had been almost 2 years ago after she had tried to get him and Kali to be friends with Peyton again. It had been the divine intervention of Haley and Jake that had kept both of them in her lives though, sadly, she didn't have them in her corner this time.

He was sitting there nursing a cup of coffee, she knew it had to be black Starbucks coffee, that was his favorite kind and Brooke could barely stop herself from blurting out that black coffee was bad for his heart problem.

Fighting, she decided, wasn't there thing. It totally blew their distorted sense of normality out of proportion. And she craved normality with every fiber of her being.

"Hi" She whispered quietly, shutting the door behind her. "I was worried about you last night."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." He said matching her tone of voice. "I needed to think."

Brooke nodded and perched delicately on the chair across from him. "What were you thinking about?"

"At first nothing, I just wanted to forget we even argued." He exhaled laughing. "I don't like it when we fight. It disturbs the peace."

She allowed herself to smile but then grew serious again as remnants of their argument filtered into her memory. "What happened to us yesterday Luke?"

"If you didn't want to go to Florida with me in the first place why did you tell me it was okay?" Lucas asked, answering her question with his own.

"I don't know." Brooke said picking at the lint on her skirt. "I figured we would talk about it again but then you never brought it up and then when I told Peyton about it she gave me some good advice."

He snorted. "Peyton giving good advice? What a first."

"When are you going to get over your high school grudge Luke?" Brooke chastised.

"Possibly never."

She rolled her eyes. "About Florida?" She prodded.

He shrugged. "I don't want to use Dan's money."

"Tell me why" She pleaded. "I don't understand Luke."

"Of course you wouldn't." He replied no malice in his voice just simple understanding of a fact. "Brooke you're used to Bentley's and maxed out credit cards you don't know what it's like to struggle to live in an area where no one wants you. You're Brooke Davis the most popular girl in Tree Hill with the rich parents; did you know what I was seen as? The bastard son that Dan didn't want who would never make anything of himself. Maybe I don't have to prove myself to Dan now because he's dead, but I have to prove to myself and to every person in Tree Hill who ever looked down on me that I can make it without him."

Brooke stayed quiet, a humbled look on her face. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "For being so insensitive yesterday."

"You didn't know."

"Can we call a truce for now?" She requested. "Everything will work itself out."

He nodded. "We'll talk about it more later okay?"

"Who were you with last night…?" She asked.

"Does it matter?"

"To me it does."

Lucas sighed, running a nervous hand through his hair. "Madison."

"Nathan's Madison? What were you doing with her?"

"I didn't want you to go looking for me at Kali's or Nathan's." He said defending himself.

"She is STAYING with Nathan!" She protested.

"They broke up, and she left." He corrected.

Brooke's face turned an angry red. "So you were just having a good old' time with Nathan's ex-girlfriend? How low can you go Luke?"

His eyes narrowed. "Nothing happened."

"Of course, and I'm the newest saint of the catholic religion!" She shouted. "How dare you do that to me? Did you not think about how I'd take it or were you too busy trying to get some ass?"

"Nothing happened." He repeated firmly. "We're just friends."

Angry tears made their way down Brooke's face. "Kali said this morning you sounded drunk." She accused.

"I was having drinks with a friend." He said.

She laughed harshly. "Go tell that to someone who's a little less intelligent."

Lucas was usually calm, but her constant accusations were beginning to get on his nerves. "You know what Brooke, I thought we trusted each other? Why can't you believe me?"

"Look at this from my point of view Luke, it looks pretty bad." She hissed. "We get in a fight and then you run off to Madison to have drinks and spend the night!"

"I don't have time for this." He said pissed off. "When you start making some sense come find me."

He went to their room and packed a small bag. "I'll be at Kali's since she's the only friend I can hang around without you throwing a jealous fit."

"You know what Luke? FUCK YOU." She yelled as he shut the door.

And I'll let you know

When it comes, when it comes

I'll let you know

But don't stay up for me

Don't wait up for me if I'm not home, yeah

TBC

Music Credits: Tyler Hilton – When It Comes