Diclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, or anything having relation to the show.

Chapter Fifteen

I Believe We Can Do It

"NATHAN! Have you seen my other pearl earring?" Brooke shouted through her small apartment.

"Yeah, you left it in the kitchen!" She rolled her eyes. Sometimes she was so absentminded it scared her.

The day of the wedding had finally arrived. It had been eight long months of planning, but things seemed to have paid off. The men had endured days of dress size discussions, and flower arrangements. They had survived the constant bad moods their girls seemed to always be in. Even though Brooke was only a bridesmaid, she did her best to be as involved as possible. Sometimes that meant stepping on a few people's toes. But they got over it, and August finally arrived for the group of friends.

Brooke and Nathan have had a few ups and downs in their relationship, but nothing major thus far. As every couple does, they have small arguments and fights. So far they had had two big ones. Once Brooke even threatened to throw him out of his own apartment. But they got over them, and moved forward with their lives. She was safe, and felt a protective sense every time he was in the room.

Many people have asked them if they plan on getting married in the future, but Brooke blows the questions off every time. She would love to grow old with Nathan and have a few kids, but that's further down the line. Right now she is having fun with just being in love and being with the man she loves. Marriage wasn't as important to her as it was to others, at least not at that point in her life. She was almost twenty five, in love, so what more could one ask for?

A few weeks after the past Christmas, Haley had returned to her high rise condominium in New York City. No one showed remorse at her departure. Brooke figured she had intimidated Haley enough after their confrontation, so she didn't give a damn where the girl went. In fact, Brooke almost wished she would have suggested Africa. Nathan, too, was glad she was gone. He was committed to Brooke, and she didn't give him an easy time as he tried proving that to her. It was especially difficult with Haley hanging around. She would pop up at the most odd times. Thankfully, she wasn't around for long. Her being there made Brooke uneasy and always on the edge. She couldn't help but feel anxious that Nathan might go back to Haley. She had been scarred by a Scott brother in the past, and it could happen again.

Brooke could remember the day Nathan came over, and he had this look on his face, as though he had just done something she should be proud of. It was early January.

FLASHBACK

At his office, Nathan called Haley's cell. She had given him her number the first night she was in town. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?" She said, excited to see Nathan's number on caller ID. He had yet to voluntarily call her since she had come back into town, so she assumed this was important. She was right.

"Haley, its Nathan. Brooke said you keep coming by the store." It wasn't as if Brooke was tattling on her, but when her boyfriend asked her how her day was, she wasn't going to lie and say nothing major happened. Haley kept harrassing her, and it of course thoroughly pissed Brooke off.

Haley sighed. "Can I help it if I like what she sells?" She knew this would smooth over nicely with him.

"Cut the bullshit, Haley," Nathan interrupted her. "You go over there checking on her, or us, or something sick like that. Leave her alone, okay? She agreed not to create trouble with you, so why can't you do the same?"

Haley said sadly into the phone, "Nathan, don't you see what she has turned you into? She has morphed you into this puppy dog who does everything she says." In Haley's eyes, whatever Brooke said goes. Nathan was just another thing to her, such as a cheerleader when Brooke was captain.

"You have no right to make accusations like that, Haley. You don't know what goes on with us, and thankfully you never will. I love Brooke, and I respect her greatly. I respect her so much that I am asking you to please get out of Tree Hill. You have a life in New York, so why don't you just go back to it?"

Haley scoffed, "Did Brooke tell you to say that?" Brooke had quickly become her least favorite person.

"No," he said harshly. "She has no idea we are even having this conversation. Please Haley. Just leave." The quicker she left, the faster he would be able to move on with his life with Brooke.

Tears stung Haley's eyes as he said those words to her. However, they were not tears of sadness. They were angry tears. She was angry at Brooke, angry at Nathan, angry at herself for leaving all those years ago. She refused to let Nathan realize this, though. "You really don't want anything to do with me?"

He heard the hurt in her voice, and softened his tone. "No. Not if you are going upset Brooke so much. Haley, I still care about you. That will never change. But I just can't have you here, stirring up unneeded trouble. I realize you have every right to be here, and I can't do anything about that. But I am asking you, as someone you used to be close to, to please let go. Let go of me, of our relationship, of all the grudges you have against Brooke."

Tears slid down her face, and she furiously wiped them away. "Fine," she said. "If that's what you want, fine. I will leave tonight." She knew she had given up easily, but she could see that Nathan wanted nothing to do with her. It hurt her so much, but she knew there was no point in her being there anymore.

"Thank you," Nathan said simply.

He hung up with her and immediately called the bus station. He knew it was usually the only way Haley traveled. The only ride to New York City that night was at nine sharp.

At eight forty five, Nathan was leaning against the wall of the bus station. He wanted to make sure Haley got on that bus. He waited until it was two minutes before the bus would be leaving. She was nowhere in sight, so he began his departure back. He had just turned around when he noticed Haley rushing up. She didn't see him; she just got on board. Nathan watched her go. He was relieved she was leaving, but then again it made him sad. He knew this was it. If he went now, he could have Haley back in his life. But Brooke was waiting for him, and if he treated her right, then she wasn't going anywhere. He loved her so much, and therefore the thought of stopping Haley made him want to kill himself. He just wanted his life with Brooke to move forward smoothly, and Haley was a roadblock for that.

After watching her board the bus, he got in his car and drove to Brooke's apartment. He walked in and caught her watching Gilmore Girls. She looked up and grinned. "I just love Lorelai and Luke. They are the best. Come sit and watch with me." She patted the seat next to her, and looked at him as he sat next to her, wrapping his protective arms around her middle. "What's that look for? Is everything alright?"

He smiled, and kissed the top of her head. "More than you know," he murmured before settling in for more Girls.

END FLASHBACK

Nathan had shared the Haley departure with Brooke, and it made her extremely happy. This proved to her she could trust him, and he meant it when he said he wasn't going anywhere. Hell, if they could get through the return of an ex wife, they could get through pretty much anything.

Brooke hurried out of her bathroom and picked the earring up from the counter, slipping it in her ear. She looked over at Nathan, who was still in his athletic shorts and t-shirt.

"Babe, you do realize we are leaving in half an hour, right?" Nathan was changing at her house. He did this frequently, getting ready with her. The only thing his apartment provided was a place to keep his furniture. He only slept there maybe four times a week. The rest of the time, when he wasn't working, he was with or at Brooke's.

He nodded, his attention fully on the television. "Yeah. I already took a shower." He could get dressed in about two minutes.

Realizing there was no way she was going to be getting his attention anytime soon, she simply rolled her eyes and returned to her position in front of her bathroom mirror. Her make up was done, her jewelry securely fastened on. Her dress was patiently hanging on the hook outside of her closet. She smiled at it. She and Peyton had picked out their bridesmaid dresses together, and got matching ones. They settled for a baby blue dress. It cascaded down around them, creating a sort of train. It was lined with diamonds near the top. Crystal loved it, especially when they put it on. Brooke was having so much fun getting to know Peyton again. Being away for her friend so long made her realize just how much you need to hang on to those you love and care about.

Nathan walked in a few minutes later, kissing her neck from behind. She giggled. "Will you please get ready?"

"I'm going, I'm going," he sighed. "You aren't dressed either." He didn't mind, though. He loved seeing her in anything, or nothing. The latter was his preferred choice.

"Yes, but all I have to do is slip the dress on."

Nathan changed into his tux, and allowed Brooke to fix the tie. As she did, he grinned at her. "You are looking so hot tonight."

Her cheeks flushed a light pink. She never tired of his compliments. "Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself, Stud." She finished with his tie and took a step back, happy with his appearance.

He pulled her close to him. "Do we have to stay the whole time?"

Brooke burst into laughter. "Uh, yeah. You are the best man. We have to be there for the wedding, and, shocker, the reception. Speaking of which, do you have your speech?"

He nodded. "Its next to my keys on the counter." He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "You think we have time to... you know?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Brooke pushed his chest lightly. "No. Now leave and let me get dressed." He sighed, and went into the other room. Brooke decided to use her time and touch up her face. She was never completely satisfied, and it wouldn't hurt to make sure it looked as best as possible. After all, she would be having her picture taken a lot.

The wedding ceremony began at seven, followed by a reception. It was only five ten, but the bridal party had to arrive early. They were supposed to be there before five thirty. Although Brooke knew this, she had more important things to do than worry about the time. Her boyfriend thought otherwise.

Thirty five minutes later, Nathan knocked on the bedroom door. "Brooke, its past the time to go!" He shouted. Brooke's cell phone started playing Gavin DeGraw, and he picked it up. Peyton was calling. He turned the phone off. Peyton was probably wondering where the hell they were, and he sure wasn't going to be the one to explain their tardiness.

Brooke was inspecting herself in the mirror. She had just slipped her dress on, and it of course fit perfectly. "I'm almost ready," she yelled back. She double checked the seams and hem, making sure nothing would go wrong with it. It may be Crystal's big day, but Brooke still wanted to be the envy of all the young women at the ceremony.

Just outside the door, Nathan waited impatiently. And she yelled at him for not being ready in time. Five minutes later, their bedroom door opened and Brooke walked out, smiling from ear to ear.

Nathan stared at the gorgeous figure standing before him. All thoughts of them being late vanished from his mind. To think that this ravishing woman was standing before him was more than enough to occupy his mind. He whistled, "Damn, the waiting was all worth it."

She giggled. "You like it?"

He pulled her close by the waist. He leaned in and whispered huskily in her ear, "I love it and you." And he did. Sometimes he had second thoughts, wondering if he made the right decision with Brooke. But then he pictured her in his mind, smiling or joking with him, and he kicked himself for even thinking about having regrets.

"Thanks," she whispered back. She grabbed his arm and was shocked at the time. "Nate, why didn't you tell me what time it was!"

Nathan sighed. He wasn't even going to attempt to pull himself out of that one, and explain that he had told her of the time, more than once. She just refused to hear him. "Come on, we better get going, by the time we get there it will be after six."

Ten minutes later, they had arrived at the church. Jake and Peyton's car was in the parking lot, along with the rest of the wedding party. Brooke didn't care. She was well known for being 'fashionably' late. They walked into the front foyer of the church. It was now straight up six o'clock. Peyton hurried up to them. She shot Brooke a look that said she was annoyed and very pissed off.

"Brooke Davis, where in the hel-" she caught herself, considering they were in a church. "Heck have you been!"

Brooke smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." She was accustomed to having to pull herself out of a tight spot with Peyton, so she blew the rage in Peyton's voice away.

Nathan had his hand around Brooke's back, and he gave it a slight squeeze. "Someone can't get ready in time." She made a face at him, but smiled shortly after. Was it her fault that she took awhile to look beautiful, even more so than she naturally did? Besides, she knew he didn't care too much.

"So, where is everybody?" She asked brightly, changing the subject very subtly.

Peyton decided she couldn't stay mad at Brooke forever. There was no point in holding grudges. Those two had long since learned that lesson. "Well, Lucas is in the church with the priest and his groomsmen. And Crystal is with Ally in the bridal room." Ally was Crystal's younger sister, also the matron of honor. "They were fixing makeup or something."

"Where's Jenny?" Nathan inquired. The pair had grown into a rather close relationship. The thing was, Jake and Peyton weren't the biggest fans of it. Nathan had the tendency to lure Jenny to do things she wouldn't do on a regular basis, such as play tricks on her parents or other crazy schemes. And Brooke didn't help matters at all. Who knew how much makeup such a young child could wear at one time. Which could explain why they very rarely babysat the little girl, unless it was an extreme emergency.

"My dad is bringing her later," Peyton explained. "Brooke, come on." She tugged on her friend's arm. Crystal was worried about where Brooke was. Peyton hadn't been worried. She has known Brooke a very long time, and knew Brooke was fine. Just late.

"Okay, okay. Jeez, what did you ever do without me?" She turned to Nathan and gave him a quick kiss. "See you later, handsome." She gave him a wink, and he smiled back at her before heading into the church. Sometimes, she could say the littlest things and it made him remember just how much he cares for her.

She followed Peyton to the bridal room. In the room was Crystal, Ally, and their mother, Martha. "Crys, you look gorgeous!" Brooke squealed. She had known this girl maybe a year, and they were already great friends.

"Thanks," Crystal blushed. "I'm so damn nervous."

Brooke waved her hand. "Don't be. Its just Lucas." She gave a yelp as Peyton jabbed her elbow in Brooke's side. "Ow." She then said to Crystal, "You know what I mean."

Martha smiled and said to the two girls, "You ladies look wonderful."

"Thanks," they chirped in unison. They looked at each other and burst into a fit of giggles, as though they were in high school again.

Brooke apologized, "Sorry I was late. I couldn't decide how I wanted to do my makeup and hair. That was my biggest problem." She positioned herself comfortably on a chair. "At first I was going with all curly, then straight started to sound appealing. Then I liked both of them. Never again am I doing that by myself. I figured I knew enough about hair and I could do it myself, but no. Next time, a professional can handle it. I wasted like three hours of my life."

Peyton rolled her eyes, and leaned into Ally, who was watching Brooke in amusement. "Be careful, this could take all night." Ally giggled softly. She liked Brooke. She may be a little over dramatic at times, but she was fun. Having an older sister had its advantages. Not only did they have interesting and cool friends, but they also managed to snag hot guys.

Brooke shot Peyton a look. "I heard that, friend."

Peyton grinned across the room. "Whatever. I have to go check on Jenny," she said, walking out of the room and she pulled her cell out.

Brooke followed closely behind, hissing, "Be careful, you are one step away from becoming a desperate housewife," adding emphasis to the adjective desperate.

The two girls were soon by themselves in the decorated hallway. Peyton made her call to her father, making sure Jenny was getting ready alright. Then she and Brooke proceeded in doing what they do best. Gossip.

"So, do you think Luke and Crystal will last?" While they discussed their friends, Brooke pulled out her initialed B compact and checked her hair.

Peyton nodded. "I think so. Lucas has matured so much since high school. We all have. He really loves Crystal, so I can see them lasting forever."

Brooke grasped Peyton's hand, alarmed. "Oh my God, in six years we will be thirty!"

"How tragic," Peyton said sarcastically. "Where did that come from? A little out of thin air, don't you think."

"I was just thinking about those two. Soon they will have kids, and we will be getting older... Damn, can you imagine what it will be like when we are thirty?"

Peyton shrugged. "Well, Jake and I hope to have more kids in the future."

Brooke said gently, "Doesn't that include getting married first?" She was one of those people who definitely wanted to be married awhile before any little ones came along.

Peyton shook her head. "Marriage isn't important to us. Yes, we probably will sometime down the line. But this year? Next? Probably not. Anyways, back to what we will be doing when thirty. Like you said, Luke will have bunches of little kids."

Brooke clapped her hands excitedly. "Yes! I get to be Auntie Brooke times...however many he has."

Peyton laughed at her old friend. "Sure. And I bet you and Nathan will be married and have a kid on the way by then."

Brooke made a face. "You really think so?" The thought of her being pregnant wasn't too appealing. She enjoyed her slender figure, and was a professional at taking advantage of it.

Peyton assured, "You guys are going to last, I promise. Don't you want it to?"

"Of course," Brooke replied in a hurry. "I would love to grow old with him. Its just all so surreal, you know? This year has brought so many changes. Good changes, of course."

"Well, one thing that has definitely changed. Your boyfriend. Nathan is so different then he used to be. He was such a mess just a few short years ago, and now he is in a healthy relationship. He cleaned up his act."

"Peyton, I didn't change that about him. I only got here a year ago. He had done that before I ever returned." Brooke's mind wandered to a year ago. Things were definitely different then. She wasn't even looking to find the man she hoped to spend the rest of her life with. She just wanted to get her business up and going. She definitely accomplished many of her goals, and found a new love along the way.

Peyton shook her head. "No, but he has stayed changed. That's the thing. It would have been so easy for him to go back to his old ways, but now he has you. You make him strive to be a better person."

Brooke smiled. "Thanks, friend. But I really wasn't trying to be a Haley copycat."

Peyton laughed. She knew what Brooke was talking about. "No, you are definitely not like Haley at all."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

The two girls whirled around and came face to face with none other than Haley James. Brooke shot Peyton an annoyed look as they stared at the woman who was looking pretty damn smug.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I got back from vacation and had so many great ones waiting. You guys are just too sweet! Okay, so I know this was a dumb, cliched cliffhanger, but I had to do it. Sorry! But remember, Haley is not so much a threat to their relationship as much as she is to each of them individually. In the next chapter, I hope to bring back Tim. Crazy, right? Anyways, hope you enjoyed and pleae leave more great reviews! I love them!

LivingintheOCsucks: Haha, you may not be getting the full on cat fight, but banter can definitely be expected in the coming chapters! And I am back, so look forward to more updates!

brathan forever07: I love your username! LOL. Yes, Haley sucks. And she is back again, but for how long? And what is her motive this time? Thanks for the review!

Mony19: Glad you are enjoying the Luke/Crystal relationship. I was afraid some readers would want Lucas with an original cast member, but I can't STAND him and peyton, and him and Haley didn't really fit into the story. So I created a new girl for him, and she serves as a friend and confidant to Brooke as well.

Ababy99: Wow, thanks! Loved your long review. Haley has always been in "Haley World", so what can you expect? But I hope to show her softer side soon, though. I don't hate her completely, but she has never and will never be a favorite of mine. Glad you are liking the story, though!

Cindy: Thanks!

mariel: I don't know if I could kill her off. If I kill her, then where is the drama? Thanks for the reviews!

Agel15:Yes, the girls are very good friends now. And Nathan is always gonna be that sweetheart! lol. Thanks for the review, happy I made you laugh.

msCrazy: I'm back, so no worries! More chapters should come soon. Glad you liked that one, though!

karmabellexx: Yay! Glad to know I have almost converted you. It took me awhile,l too. I was all about Brucas, but then Brathan caught my attention. But my Brucas-devoted-ness won't change. Lol. Hope you continue to read and review, always excited to know new readers are out there!

amanda: Thanks!

cindy: You won't have to wait long, thanks so much for reviewing!

Okay, you know what to do...