Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! It's another long one! The longest yet I think. As I said before, this chapter will start where the last chapter left off. TWO more chapters left! Then it's over! I hope you guys all like this chapter! I tried to make it funny and lighthearted. As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.
Rating: K+ to T
P.S.- Sorry if there are a ton of mistakes. I'm posting this at three in the morning so please forgive me. I'll fix them later when I'm more awake.
Finding Our Way Back
Chapter 38 – Who Would Have Thought?
"Brooke, you and Nathan," Peyton questioned disbelievingly, "Now who would have thought you two would hook up? You guys have such similar personalities. How do you guys manage to find a balance and not butt heads all the time?" Brooke smiled at her friend and wrapped an arm around Nathan's back then smiled up at him before changing her focus back to Peyton, "We've grown up, matured. We started dating sophomore year of college and we've been together ever since." "Wow…" Peyton and Jake uttered in amazement. "Brooke, you mean all those mystery dates and all the times I asked you about who you were going out with, it was really Nathan," Peyton inquired. "Yeah, we kind of wanted to keep our relationship under wraps for awhile, see how it went. We weren't sure at first so we decided to keep it a secret for awhile."
"Three years Brooke? You call that 'awhile'? That's like…I don't know what it's called but that's a long time, especially for you. This is big. Why didn't you tell me? You could at least have told me," Peyton replied. "That's exactly my point, Peyton. This is a big deal for me, for both of us. We haven't exactly had a good track record with relationships. So we decided to take it slow and not tell anybody yet; it was our little secret. After awhile, it just became second nature at hiding it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want to screw anything up," Brooke gazed at her with pleading eyes. Peyton hugged her, "It's okay." Once Brooke pulled away, she noticed that Lucas was just standing there and hadn't said a word. He was staring worriedly back at the apartment. "Hey Lucas, aren't you going to see if Haley is okay? She looked kind of upset when she left," Brooke questioned. "I know," he replied, running a hand through his hair, "I'm just giving her a few minutes to pull herself together before I go talk to her or she'll be really pissed at me. She gets embarrassed when someone catches her crying, especially since it happens frequently now, her being pregnant and all. She told me that hormones can really make her nuts sometimes and I can attest to that. It's just a really emotional time for her." All nodded in understanding.
"Well, I'm going to go see how she is. I'll be back in a little bit," Lucas said a few minutes later. He walked into the apartment and entered the kitchen, finding Haley dabbing at her eyes with a Kleenex. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and gently kissed her temple. "You okay," he asked softly. "Yeah," she sniffled, "It's just so hard…seeing Nathan…after all this time and how we left things…" Fresh tears fell down her cheeks and she wiped them away with her hand. "I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing by inviting him. Should I not have," Lucas gazed at her concernedly. She patted his arm and rubbed it up and down, "No, it's okay. He's your brother and this reunion is not only for me, it's for you too. I just- the last time we saw each other, I told him I was pregnant and that it was yours and he told me her never wanted to see me again…and now he's here…" She wiped at her cheeks again and Lucas gently took her hand into his own, "Sh, everything will be alright." Both are silent for a few moments as Haley calms down in his arms.
"Want to know something surprising," he asked. She nodded as she leaned back against his chest. "Nathan and Brooke are dating, have been dating. For three years. I never thought those two would get together; they're both so alike." "I don't think it's so surprising. We're both so alike and look how good we are together," she smiled up at him then leaned her head back in the crook of his neck and kissed his cheek, breathing in his familiar scent, feeling content in the moment. "We should probably get back out there or they might start thinking we're doing something naughty in the kitchen," he flashed her a devilish smirk, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Look whose mind is in the gutter," Haley replied with a grin. "What? It's not like we haven't done it before," he responded with a seductive smile. "Besides, it's not like we could do it anyway," she pointed to her large stomach. His smirk grew even wider, "That never stopped us either."
"Lucas, not now. We have company," she replied, pulling away from him slightly. "But later, right," he asked hopefully. "Maybe," she smiled as sidled up to him, lightly grazing her body against his, "If you're good." Then she felt the baby kick. She quickly placed her hand on her belly and grinned, "Oh! The baby kicked!" She took his hand and placed it on her stomach where the baby had last moved, "Feel it?" Lucas nodded, rubbing his hand over the round bump, "Can you believe we'll be parents again in a few months?" She placed her hand beside his and smiled up at him, "It's amazing, isn't it?" "Yeah…" he then gets a serious look on his face, "Don't get scared okay?" A confused expression appeared on her face, "What, why? Lucas, what are you talking about?" "This," he carefully picked her up. "Luke," she shrieked. He placed her on top of the kitchen counter. "Luke, what did you do that for? Now I can't get down," Haley exclaimed.
"Precisely. And I wanted to kiss my wife," he kissed her tenderly on the lips, "and child…" He raised her shirt up a little to expose the protruding bump and kissed her belly. Haley grinned, "You know, we're not married yet. There's still time for one of us to back out." "You wouldn't," he replied jokingly. Haley pretended to think about it for a moment, "Maybe. Or maybe I'll keep you around for a while. I'm going to need some help with the new little one." She smiled and rubbed her stomach tenderly. He kissed her collarbone and laid his head against her chest, nuzzling her breasts and placing a gentle kiss on each one. "I love you," her murmured softly. She wrapped her arms around him and ran one hand through his hair at the back of his head. "I love you too," she responded in the same quiet tone.
Lucas leaned down and kissed her stomach, "I love you too baby." He ran his hands over her belly and kissed it again. At this exact moment, with his lips on her stomach, Brooke walked in. A shocked expression appeared on her face at the sight. From her vantage point behind Haley, she saw that her long skirt pooled around her thighs and her shirt was ridden up over her stomach, resting just under her bra. Brooke called out to everyone in the backyard, "Hey guys! I told you those two little horny toads would be getting it on in the kitchen because they were gone so long!" Lucas quickly pulled away at Brooke's voice and Haley pulled her shirt back down. They both could hear groans of disgust from outside. "Nobody eat the food, it's probably contaminated," Nathan shouted. Haley scooted to the edge of the counter and Lucas helped her down. "Oh no, don't stop on our account. By all means, go ahead," Brooke replied with a wave of her hand, "we'll be waiting outside when you're done." "Brooke," Haley replied exasperatedly.
"Hey guys! Skills and Fergie are here! And they've got a sweet ride," Jake shouted from outside. Lucas wrapped his arm around Haley, rubbed her shoulder and kissed her forehead, "Come on, let's go greet the guys." They walked outside to find Skills and Fergie hugging and talking to everyone. Skills was the first to spot them and he grabbed Lucas' outstretched hand, pulling him in for a hug, "Luke man, it's good to see you." He then turned to Haley and lifted both her hands in the air, inspecting her, "Damn girl, congratulations! Luke's the father, right?" Haley rolled her eyes and grinned, "Yes he's the father Skills, as he is the father of the rest of my brood. They're running around here somewhere." "The rest of your brood? Damn, how many kids do you have," Skills asked, his eyes wide. "Two," Haley responded. "Two! Jeez, you two procreatin' like little bunny rabbits! Where are the little rascals," Skills replied with a shake of his head. Haley laughed, "I had twins, Skills." "Twins the first time out? Way to go Luke," Skills patted him on the back. "Katie and Derek are probably inside playing on the PlayStation or watching television. Mention basketball and they'll be your friends for life," Haley laughed. "Okay, I'm going to go find the little rugrats," Skills replied, "see you two later."
They greeted Fergie and all talked for awhile then Mouth arrived. They gaped in shock when he opened the car door for his wife and came around the car with her, their two year old daughter in his arms. His wife was none other than former Tree Hill High president, Erica Marsh. "Erica," Brooke shrieked in excitement and raced over, hugging her. "Brooke," Erica screamed back. "Hey Mouth," Haley grinned as she embraced him, "it's good to see you." "You too, Haley. You look great," Mouth smiled. "Thanks," she responded. "Sorry we're late. Lizzie kept getting fussy from riding in her car seat for so long. We had to make a few stops." "Hey no problem, I know how that is," Haley said, "the kids were like that when I moved down here from New York. I had twins, they're five years old," Haley smiled as she watched Mouth's confused expression turn into understanding. "Can I hold her," Haley asked, gesturing to the little girl. "Sure," he responded as he handed her over. "Hey Lizzie, I'm one of your daddy's friends. We've known each other for a long time. You're such a big girl. How old are you," she asked her. She slowly held up two fingers. "She's a little shy," Mouth said as he stroked her hair. Haley grinned as she looked at Mouth, "Just like her father. She's a daddy's girl, isn't she?" "Yes she is," he replied.
"Hey Hales, the food is almost done. Can you grab some napkins and another platter," Lucas called out. "Yeah," she replied, handing Lizzie back over to her father and touching her index finger to the girl's nose, smiling, "I'll see you later, cutie." Lizzie gave her a toothless grin and waved to her as she went off back into the apartment. Haley returned outside a few minutes later holding a platter, a stack of napkins, and her glass of Iced Tea. As she walked across the yard, she suddenly felt a sharp, painful kick from inside. She stopped and leaned over a little bit, which caused her to drop the napkins that were on the platter. She bit her bottom lip in pain as her eyes started to water and she fought not to cry. She took in a deep breath and stood still for a few more moments, waiting for the pain to subside. Nathan, who was only a few feet away, walked over and bent down, picking up the napkins. He slowly rose back up to his full height and took the platter from her, to which she then quickly wrapped her arm around her stomach and closed her eyes shut. "Are you okay," he asked concernedly, his voice soft. "I'll be alright," Haley nodded with her eyes still closed tight, whispering quietly, a whimper escaping her lips. He rushed to the table and grabbed a chair and brought it back over, placing it behind Haley so she could sit down. He helped lower her into it and she uttered a soft, "Thanks." He crouched down on the ground on one knee as he watched her worriedly, wondering if he should call Lucas over. "Should I get Lucas," he asked. "No, I'll be fine in a few minutes," she responded, her lips pursed tightly together as she breathed through the pain.
Nathan watched her concernedly for several moments, making sure nothing else happened, and finally Haley let out a heavy sigh. She rubbed her hand over her belly in slow, circular movements, trying to calm and soothe the unborn child. Nathan stared at her round stomach, remembering back on the day she had told him she was pregnant. He looked at Haley, staring at her stomach with a small smile on her face, then to Lucas, gazing at her lovingly, then to Katie and Derek off in the distance playing with Skills. They were all so happy. He hung his head in shame for reacting the way he had when she'd told him. He had been upset. Why wouldn't he have been? His girlfriend had cheated on him with his brother and gotten pregnant. How else could he react? He was over that now; had been for a long time. Somewhere deep down he'd always known Haley had liked Lucas, but had never thought it would ever amount to anything, both too blind and stubborn to notice it for themselves. Now here they were, together and happy with three kids.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he looked down at the ground, pulling out a few strands of grass, avoiding her gaze. Haley sucked in a deep breath at his words and tears welled in her eyes, "What?" "I'm sorry I reacted that way, back then, when you told me you were pregnant. I didn't mean it, the part about never seeing you again…I was just upset. I couldn't handle seeing you right then and it just came out…" he finally raised his head to look in her eyes, "I look at you now and I see how happy you are…with Lucas and your kids…You two were meant to be. I'm so sorry Hales. Can you try to forgive me? Can we try to be friends again? I'd also like to get to know my niece and nephew better. I am their uncle after all." Tears were now falling from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. He waited a few moments, searching her eyes deeply, trying to gauge her reaction. She finally, slowly, reached over and took his hand into her own, squeezing it lightly as a smile formed on her lips. "I'd like that," she whispered. Nathan hugged her then, tightly yet still loose so as not to hurt her or the baby, "Thank you."
"Hales, the food is done. Where did you put that platter," Lucas called out from his spot at the grill. "Be there in sec," Haley responded as she rose from her chair and grabbed the platter off the table, walking over to him. "What did he say to you," he said quietly when she approached. Haley smiled, rubbing his back to signal that everything was okay, "He apologized for the way he treated me back when I told him I was pregnant. He also said that he wanted to get to know Katie and Derek better because he's their uncle." Lucas grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist, "That's great!" A few minutes later, Lucas shouted, "Hey everyone! Dinner's ready! All of you come and sit down at the table!" "Hey Luke, I found these two kids running around. Are they yours," Skills asked as he carried Katie and Derek, sideways, one in each arm, to the table as they giggled loudly. "Don't drop them," Haley shrieked in fright. "Chill girl, I'm not gonna drop them," Skills replied as he placed the kids on the ground near the table then offered his hand out to Derek, "Come on little man, you can sit with me."
Everyone had finally drifted over to the table and settled down to eat, all talking animatedly in little groups. Haley looked up from her conversation with Peyton when she saw Brooke abruptly push her chair away from the table and stood up, her hand covering her mouth. "Bathroom," she mumbled. "Second door on your right," Haley replied quickly with concern. Nathan gazed worriedly after her for a few moments before returning to his meal. She returned ten minutes later, looking slightly pale and a little withdrawn. Nathan wrapped an arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You okay?" She nodded as she rested her head against his chest. "Brooke, are you pregnant," Haley asked. Nathan, who had just taken a drink of his water, now spit it out in shock, his eyes wide. Brooke's eyes had bulged out too but she responded, "No, I'm not pregnant. I think it was the potato salad. I usually don't like potato salad but it looked good so I decided to try it. I guess it didn't sit well with my stomach." Haley and Erica, the only women of the group who had been pregnant before, stared at each other then said at the same time, "Cravings." "Guys, really, I'm not pregnant. Besides, Nathan and I use…'precautionary measures' when we…do it," Brooke replied, remembering that little kids were around. "You never know Brooke," Erica responded, "Mouth and I used 'precautionary measures' and out came Lizzie nine months later." "I'm not pregnant," Brooke reiterated. "Whatever you say Brooke," Haley smiled then looked at Erica, both with skeptical expressions on their faces.
"Okay, okay, enough of this kind of talk at the dinner table, especially around the kids," Lucas replied as he stood up, "Now I know I said that this was a reunion of sorts but there's another reason we invited you all back down here…" He took Haley's hand and smiled down at her then looked back up at all their friends surrounding them, "We're getting married." There were shrieks and shouts of happiness all around as well as a few "Congratulations" and "It's about damn time," shouted by Skills. Haley yelled as she laughed, "Skills! The kids!" "Well, since we're getting married, we wanted to invite you all to the wedding as well as name the people in the wedding party. Skills, you've been my best bud for as long as I can remember, besides Haley that is, so therefore, you are the best man. Jake, Mouth, you two are groomsmen. Nathan, I know we didn't get along that much in high school, but I would appreciated if my brother would stand up at the altar alongside me," Lucas said, staring at Nathan. Nathan's eyes watered a little then he walked over and they shook hands then embracing each other in a manly hug. All of them looked on in awe at the two brothers who had spent most of their lives hating each other now hugging.
Lucas helped Haley to stand so she could announce her bridesmaids. "Okay girls, all three of you are my bridesmaids. Oh, and I promise not to make you wear ugly dresses. You just can't upstage the bride," she pointed her finger at them and smiled. "Wait, what about the maid of honor," Brooke asked. "My friend Kyla is going to be the maid of honor. You'll meet her later. She's a lot like you Brooke, but a lot like me too." "Sounds like an interesting character," Brooke mused, "When's the wedding?" "The wedding will be in about a month, on May 20th. Can you guys all make it down around then? Come a few days before the wedding of course because we will have the rehearsal dinner and have to prepare and everything." Fergie, now realizing he was the only one left out of the wedding party, spoke up, "Hey, what about me? I don't get to be in the wedding party?" "Sorry Fergie, the priest will only let us have so many groomsmen and bridesmaids," Lucas replied. "What about something else? Need a ring bearer? I'll be a ring bearer," Fergie responded hopefully. "Hey, that's my job," Derek piped in. Everyone laughed at this. "We'll find you something Fergie," Lucas patted his back. Nathan now stood from the table, "Alright everybody, I propose a toast. To Lucas and Haley." He raised his cup and they all bumped their plastic cups together. "To Lucas and Haley," the others replied. Lucas and Haley turned to each other and smiled, he wrapping his arm around her waist. "To us," they said as they tapped cups and shared a sweet, gentle kiss on the lips.