For Brooke and Lucas, reality had finally kicked. They weren't on vacation in the Bahamas anymore; they were back and in the full swing of things. Lucas had intense practice everyday, which really put a damper on Brooke's day. Madison had been sick ever since Brooke and Lucas had gotten back, and she was fussy and cranky.
"Lucas Eugene Scott, where is Madison's bib?" Brooke yelled. "You fed her last!"
"Sorry Brooke I don't remember, I'm gonna be late for intensive and then we have a strategy meeting…I wont be home till 10 or 11 tonight…bye, I love you, love you Maddie"
"But Lucas, you can't go Madison's sick!" Brooke whined.
"Look baby I love you but I don't have time to battle it out, I love you, don't forget that, bye Maddie bear, daddy loves you, bye!" Lucas said hurriedly, kissing Brooke and Madison and sliding out the door.
"Bye Lucas" Brooke sighed and turned towards Madison. "When did Daddy become so busy, Maddie?" Madison babbled and Brooke nodded her head. "I agree munchkin; I think daddy should take time off too…but he loves basketball, what can we do about it?" Brooke sighed and continued looking for Madison's bib.
"Brooke Scott!"
"Haley, my favorite ho…thank god you are here and where is my adorable nephew?" Brooke asked.
"With his grandma and grandpa and aunt being spoiled rotten" Haley laughed.
"Ah…the curse of the grandparents…mine always spoiled me rotten" Brooke said.
"Brooke, you were spoiled rotten anyway"
"Hey! I resent that!" Brooke exclaimed. "So what have you been up to, tutor wife?"
"Nothing, my husband sleeps till 1, disappears at 3, and shows up at 11 at night. And then he's tired, so he has to sleep. The coach is like juicing them"
"I know I feel like I don't see Lucas at all anymore, this intensive thing is getting out of hand. He hasn't spent any time with Madison in a week and I haven't had any help and she's sick!"
"I know…Peyton's mad too, she says Jake barely sees Catherine or Jenny because they're always either strategizing or practicing" Haley said. "Well, hopefully crazy season will be over soon"
"Yah, hopefully" Brooke sighed, looking at Madison, who was chewing her bottle cap. "Maddie, don't chew your bottle cap honey" Brooke laughed. "Wow…time passes fast…I can't believe Madison's gonna be 1 in like a few months!"
"I know…I had issues with Anthony turning one" Haley laughed.
"Brooke…" Peyton called through the house.
"God does no one knock in Tree Hill? Hey Peyton come in…hey munchkins!" Brooke greeted Peyton, Jenny, and Catherine.
"Hey…my husband's been missing for the last week, how about yours?" Peyton said sarcastically, plopping down on the couch with Haley and Brooke. "God this is making me mad. Let's go shopping"
"Uh, P. Sawyer, or Jageilski, whatever, the kids?" Brooke laughed, motioning to Madison, Catherine, and Jenny.
"We can put them in the playroom, Jenny can watch them, and we can shop online" Peyton smiled.
"You know, I like the way you think" Brooke laughed, tickling Madison. "Or we could bring the playpen here and just work off of my laptop…here, I'll get mine, and you can have one of Lucas's like 10 laptops. I swear the man's crazy" Brooke laughed. "Ok, let's hit Dooney and and spend all our husbands' money" Brooke giggled. "Oh, and Madison needs new clothes" she added.
"Brooke…you seriously just bought the girl clothes two days ago"
"My baby deserves to be spoiled" Brooke said. "She's my child, after all.
"True that, she's so cute" Haley laughed, waving to Madison. They shopped online and ordered a lot of things, and soon Peyton and Haley left, and Lucas came home. Madison was thrilled to see him, and so was Brooke.
"My husband!"
"My wife!" Lucas laughed, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her. "I missed you…" he said, kissing her again.
"I missed you too…so did your munchkin, she's been whining all day…sick babies suck. They're no fun" Brooke said.
"Aw I missed my munchkin too…is she doing any better?"
"Uh…not really" Brooke said. "She's been fussy and whiny and I gave her medicine but she's just irritable, and you can't really do much about that other than rock her and sing to her…and she misses her daddy, I think she wanted you" Brooke laughed.
"Well I'm here…hi teddy bear; daddy's here…how are you?" Lucas said, picking up Madison, who looked delighted to see Lucas. "I heard you wanted daddy all day"
"Uh! So not true! I said she wanted daddy a little, she LOVES mommy" Brooke laughed.
"Brooke…" Lucas laughed.
"Lucas…" Brooke giggled, and hugged Lucas. "Dinner's on the stove"
"You cooked!" Lucas said, astonished.
"I may have learned from Martha…a little…kind of…not really" she added quietly to herself.
"Hey, I bet it tastes great" Lucas smiled, and went over to take a spoonful. "This is good! If I didn't know any better, I would say this was 100 percent by a professional chef" Lucas said.
"Hey Luke?"
"Mm?"
"Martha IS a professional chef"
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"Look at those eyes" Taylor sighed. "He looks just like Nathan"
"HEY. I think he looks like me too" Haley said, clutching Anthony to her. "He loves his mommy"
"He likes his aunt better…I spoil him rotten"
"WELL so do me and Nathan"
"Uh…true. The kid's spoiled, I have to say it. But not in a bad way at all…he's a very well behaved child, Haley, I'm very surprised. I thought he'd have Nathan's wild streak" Taylor said.
"Uh you mean Nathan's wild streak that you experienced his freshman year?" Haley laughed.
"HALEY do NOT bring that up…not in front of my nephew. Plus…Nathan's like family now, its weird to think that…don't say that" Taylor grimaced.
"I love watching you squirm"
"Well, I don't like being watched while I squirm so don't make me squirm and then watch me squirm"
"I couldn't keep up with that, and I'm the smart one in the family"
"You're evil, you know that?" Taylor said, throwing a straw at Haley.
"Yes, it's the hidden Haley James Scott" Haley sighed dramatically.
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"Hush little Maddie don't say a word, mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird…" Brooke sang softly, rocking Madison in her chair and sighing. "Maddie, mommy cannot sing all night for you, ok honey? Mama's tired. Maybe you wanna sleep with me and daddy? Madison…don't whine baby" Brooke sighed, frustrated.
"Hey how're you doing?" Lucas asked, walking in.
"Uh not good, seeing as our spoiled child won't go to sleep…she's being fussy and she just wants attention" Brooke said.
"Here, do you want me to take her? You look like you need a break"
"I look like I need a break? Of course I need a break! Lucas, Madison has been crying all day, with an earache, stomachache, headache, and God knows what else aches and I have been trying to calm her down and get her quiet and to sleep for the past 24 hours and I have seen you for a total of 10 of those, 9 of which we SLEEP. No, 9 of which YOU sleep, 9 of which I rock OUR child so she can sleep. I needed help last night, but you were too tired. I needed help this morning, but you were too tired. I've been needing help and you were either at practice or too tired. Lucas, I know it's not your fault that basketball's been a little crazy lately, I know it, and I understand it. But for God's sake when we had a child we had a child together and I need your help, I cannot do this alone so if it wouldn't kill you can you watch her while I go to the Café?" Brooke ranted, handing him a whiny Madison.
"Hey, Brooke, Brooke I'm so sorry I had no idea I was being a bad father" Lucas said, looking like he just had his heart ripped out. Brooke instantly felt bad for being as harsh as she had been.
"No, no Lucas you're not a bad father and I'm not mad at you, just a little frustrated, I just need some fresh air, ok?" Brooke said, kissing him on the cheek and grabbing her cell phone. "I'll be at the Café and I have my cell" Lucas nodded and watched Brooke's brunette hair swing as she bent down.
"Brooke, don't be mad, ok?"
"Lucas, sweetie, I swear, I am NOT mad…I just need air. I love you, don't forget that. I'm not mad Lucas" Brooke said, seeing Lucas look gut wrenched. She sat down on the couch.
"Look, Lucas, I've just been frustrated lately, Maddie's been sick and I just needed help and I'm so used to you being there cause you were here a lot because of off season and your shoulder and I was just used to having a second in command whenever I needed you and you've been an excellent daddy, don't think for a minute I accused you of being a bad father, Lucas, never…never ever, EVER, Luke, ok? I'm just adjusting, children are harder than I thought" she smiled.
"I'm sorry, Brooke"
"Don't be sorry you have nothing to be sorry about ok? I was unreasonable, I KNOW you don't have any time and that you're tired, I know…and yes, I need a break, so I'm gonna run to Karen's"
"Alright, have fun babe"
"Ok, I love you" Brooke said, and kissed Lucas on the forehead.
Brooke sighed and got into the car. She had been way too harsh on Lucas and she knew he hated it when Brooke thought he was doing anything wrong. She turned into the parking lot for Karen's Café and parked the car to get out.
"Hey Karen!" she greeted.
"Hey Brooke! How are you?"
"Good, good…how's everything going?"
"Great…how's Madison?" Karen asked, wiping the dishes.
"She's still sick, I left her with Lucas for a little while cause I needed some fresh air" Brooke said.
"Well, well, well…if it isn't Brooke Davis, captain of the cheer losers"
"Oh wow, the rat faced ass has shown up in Tree Hill again? I was hoping they had worked the hell out of you and killed you off at military school…what are you doing in Tree Hill anyway?" Brooke asked.
"Coming to see my Brooke Davis" Felix said.
"Uh…YOUR Brooke Davis? Since when am I anyone's property? And it's Brooke Scott, thank you very much" she said, holding up her hand to show him her ring.
"So which one did you marry?"
"Lucas, dumb ass"
"No need to be antagonistic, the Felix was just wondering"
"The Felix? Wow, how utterly YOU." Brooke smirked, sipping her coffee.
"How's my favorite dyke doing?"
"THAT IS IT FELIX! You march into Karen's Café where you're not welcome in the first place and start talking to ME, and I'm trying to be civil for old time's sake, but now I see you haven't changed at all. And your favorite dyke wouldn't be Peyton Jageilski, it would be your sister, Anna"
"Leave Anna out of this!"
"You know Felix I never saw your face again after the day I broke up with you at your door, but I told myself if I ever saw you again, I'd give you a piece of my mind. So hears a piece of my mind. You deserved every misfortune you ever came across because you're a son of a bitch, hurtful, scumbag who had the nerve to paint dyke on my best friend's locker and then try to make up with me. I hate you, Felix, and that's the way it'll always be, so don't be coy and syrupy, its not gonna work" Brooke spat.
"Brooke, I'm sorry…I love you" Felix said.
"What?"
"I love you…that's why I came back, I missed you and I love you and I really care about you"
"Oh please Felix drop the act" Brooke snapped.
"Will you please just be a friend and go out with me for a casual friendly dinner to catch up?"
"Uh a, Felix, I'm married, so casual friendly dinners with men I used to date aren't gonna go over so well with Lucas, b, I don't go to dinners with assholes, and c, I cant…Madison's sick"
"Madison?"
"My daughter"
"You have a daughter?" Felix asked, astonished.
"Uh yah, I do"
"Can I meet her?"
"No, you are never setting foot in my house or going near my daughter…Lucas would pound you"
"She might me mine…"
"WHAT! Felix one more word and I swear to God I will kill you"
"How do you know she's not mine?"
"Because me and Lucas had been married a good 9 months before I found out I was pregnant with her! Oh my god Felix, let your old life GO, we've all forgotten about you and moved on…we all have our own lives now and you're not in ANY of them so just leave" Brooke yelled, and stomped out of the Café, waving bye to a stunned Karen and an amused Alexis.
Brooke stalked into the house and marched into the living room to find Lucas watched TV on a low volume with Madison asleep in his arms.
"Lucas, can I ask you a favor?"
"Hey Brooke…yah?"
"Can you pound Felix's face into the wall?"
"Felix?"
"Yah, he showed up at Karen's café!"
"Unbelievable…are you serious?" Lucas asked.
"Yah, and then had the right to say that Madison was HIS!"
"Where is he? I'm gonna go pound his rat ass into the wall" Lucas said, getting up and handing a sleeping Madison to Brooke.
"I don't know, I'd guess he was staying at a hotel, he doesn't even have a house here anymore" Brooke said.
"Ok, well tomorrow I'll pound his face into the wall and kick his ass all the way back to military school. Meanwhile, uh Madison fell asleep after you left, and she's a little hot again, so I think her fever's going up"
"Oh, ok, I'll get the medicine" Brooke said, rummaging through the closet. "My poor child…she hates being sick like me"
"Brooke, I think everyone hates being sick" Lucas laughed.
"Well I hate it extra special" Brooke giggled.
"You're so cute Cheery"
"I know"
Meanwhile, over at the temporary Tagarro residence….
"So how did it go with Brooke?"
"Not so good, she hates me" Felix sighed.
"Its ok, we'll get her to you. You're a responsible, honest young man, and I think you should be with her" Anna said.
"I agree"
"Step 1- Divert Lucas…I'll show up at his practice and try to seduce him…I'm sure he still has that cheating gene going"
"Uh, well he also has a daughter" Felix laughed.
"Oh, Madison? She's not a problem; once I have Lucas we can put her up for adoption"
"I love the way you think, Anna"
"I know"
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Brooke and Lucas were lying down on the couch, Madison sitting between them babbling and bouncing. They were watching TV and having an animated conversation about the show.
"Brooke, this show is like the most dramatic thing I've ever seen in my entire life"
"Lucas, honey, you are drama itself. Our history tops drama" Brooke laughed. "But I love you anyway"
"That's good to know" Lucas said, kissing her. "I would hope so. Oh there's the doorbell"
"Ugh…I'll get it" Brooke said. "Wanna come Maddie?" she asked, picking her up and walking to the door. When she opened the door she let out a huge gasp.
"Brooke…hello"
"What the hell are you doing here?"
A/N: Cliffhanger! Hehe! Sorry, this chapter is short and it sucks really badly but I'm like morphing into the whole drama thing, and I'm trying to get used to it, lol. Ok well I hope you liked the chapter…review please! I love reviews, and to people who've been reviewing like every chapter…I really appreciate them! They're so much fun to read!