Brooke giggled as she walked down the street filled with bars and clubs. Tree Hill's downtown "it" social scene. She usually didn't venture out much to party but it was nice to get away from time to time with Christina and some of her other girlfriends from work.

"Where to next?" she asked with a smile.

"Anywhere with karaoke and hard whiskey", Christina suggested as the women entered the town's ever popular piano bar.

Brooke felt something tug at her arm and she turned around,. It was the last person she expected or even wanted to see.

"What are you doing here, Lucas?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

Brooke frowned. How had he found her?

"Are you…are you following me?"

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes.

"Great! Just perfect. You're a jerk, a liar and now a stalker. Boy, your long list of talents keeps growing and growing."

"Can you please just give me five minutes of your time?"

"No."

"Brooke, come on…"

"No, Lucas. You come on. After the way you've been acting, don't think you can just decide to get off your period and be nice all of a sudden and pretend like nothing ever happened."

"Please", he practically pleaded. "Will you just listen to what I have to say?"

She shook her head.

"I'm not interested in your lies or your excuses anymore. Just leave me alone."

With that, she turned and followed her friends inside. Lucas cursed to himself. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy. He had screwed things up royally. She was mad as hell and had every right to feel that way. But he couldn't give up so easily. Lucas made his way into the club but a big, beefy bouncer stopped him.

"ID and a five dollar cover."

Lucas rolled his eyes as he dug his wallet out of his pocket. And flashed his driver's license, tossing five singles at the burly man. The bar was filled with drunken locals and tourists and plenty of beautiful women in that mix but Lucas was only interested in finding one. She was sitting at a table with friends.

"Brooke…"

"Unbelievable", she snapped. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"Brooke, please."

"No", she abruptly stood. "Go away!"

"Luke, maybe you should just back off", Christina quietly pulled him aside.

"I can't. Look, I really need to talk to Brooke."

"I don't think she's much in the mood right now. She's really upset."

"Because of me…"

"Lucas…"

"I'm sorry I hurt her, Christina. I know you must think I'm a real dick. But it won't happen again. I promise you."

Christina nodded and unfolded her arms.

"Don't promise me, promise her."

Lucas looked right at her.

"That's what I'm trying to do", he said as he took off in the direction Brooke had run off to.

She had fled to the ladies' restroom and he was there waiting when she came out.

"I swear to God, if you don't stop following me, I am going to scream at the top of my lungs!"

He pulled her into a private corner.

"Will you just listen?"

"No!"

"Can I have a second chance?"

Brooke laughed spitefully.

"You're joking, right?"

"No. Listen, I'm really sorry. I was an ass. I was the assiest ass of them all. I was wrong and I was disrespectful and the whole situation was uncalled for."

"True, true, true, true and true but save the apologies. They're a little redundant, don't you think?"

"Can I just explain?"

"You've done that before and like a sucker, I actually bought it. I listened to you say you were sorry and I listened to you talk about how much you were going to change."

"I did. I mean, I still do. Brooke, didn't you have a good time with me these past few weeks?"

"I did until you started treating me like shit for no reason."

He sighed.

"There was a reason. It doesn't excuse what I did or said but maybe it'll clear up some things."

"Maybe it will but go tell it to someone who gives a damn."

"Brooke…"

"This isn't a game, Lucas. It's real. I'm a real person with real feelings, not your damned plaything. You can't manipulate me or hurt me or lie to me or disrespect me over and over then think a few rehearsed words will make everything better. That's not the way it goes. Maybe in Lucas Scott's world that's how it is but if you'd like to join the rest of here on planet Earth, you'd realize that you don't get to go around shitting all over people whenever you want wherever you want. Now I'm going back to my table with my friends and I don't want to see your face for the rest of the night."

She brushed past him. Maybe he was done. Just like Haley had finally gotten fed up and said "enough", maybe Brooke was throwing in the proverbial towel as well. He wished he could do something, say something…buy her flowers, a gift, something, anything to change her mind. But none of that would work. She wasn't like the other girls. It would take a whole lot more to impress her. No, Lucas needed to get her attention.

He watched from afar as she laughed and talked with her girls, all the while sipping a gigantic frozen margarita. She seemed oblivious to his presence especially when another patron requested the Charlie Daniels Band 's "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". The piano, drums, guitar and fiddle sparked electricity in the room and Brooke's party was no exception. The girls traded in their jackets for cowboy hats and in low rise fitted jeans, sexy tank tops and boots, they climbed up on top of the bar, singing and dancing along. Brooke looked like she was having the time of her life and something inside whispered to Lucas to just let her be and enjoy the night. That was his head…his heart had other plans. He couldn't just let it go. It had nothing to do with pride or ego, it was how he felt about her deep down inside.

Lucas waited until the song was over and she was back in her seat. Then he took a deep breath and tipped the piano player a crisp twenty dollar bill for use of the microphone.

"Okay everybody, we're gonna take it down a notch or two. It's that time of night where we let you guys take over the mic and do your thing, whether it's shout outs or song requests or whatever. So first up tonight…what's your name, dude?"

"Lucas."

Brooke choked on her drink

"Oh shit", Christina nervously muttered.

"I am going to kill him!" Brooke whispered loudly. "I will skin his ass alive!"

"Alright, Lucas. The floor is yours, man."

Lucas took a deep breath.

"Look, I usually don't do stuff like this. I'm not up here to hear a song and I don't have anybody to wish a happy birthday to. But I do want to talk to someone very special to me. She's here tonight and she's a beautiful, wonderful girl that I happen to like very much but uh, at the moment…well, at the moment, she's pretty mad at me. I screwed up really big and I want to apologize for that. Brooke, it's not what you think. It was all a big misunderstanding. All that stuff I said before about changing for the better was true. And all the stuff I said I felt about you was definitely true. Everything was great until I thought I saw something. I should have known better and I should have just talked to you about it. But the thought of you with another guy really tore me up…a lot more than I thought it would. I got jealous and I got stupid. It was wrong. You've heard it all before but I am truly sorry this time. I don't know how to make you believe me, Brooke but I want you to know."

The crowd let out a sappy and collective "aw".

"Sounds like my man here is really sorry. What do you say, Brooke? Why don't you give him another chance?"

Brooke reached for her jacket and stood.

"You okay?" Christina asked.

"I'm fine. I just need to get out of here."

"We'll come with you…"

"No. Stay. Really. I want you guys to have a good time. I'll be alright."

The girls reluctantly stayed on as Brooke left, Lucas heavy on her trail. He found her at the end of the block, arms folded just standing there.

"Hi", he said softly.

"Hello…again."

"You're not running away or screaming. Does that mean you're ready to talk?"

"Do I have a choice? Because you don't go away. You're like the damned Energizer bunny. I'm afraid if I walk away this time, you might hire the Goodyear blimp to post your feelings."

"Brooke, you're not a game to me."

"Tell me something. Who in the world did you think I was with? That's so funny to me because I have like the most boring life ever. I go to work, I come home from work. Please tell me who the big mystery man is."

"Nathan."

Brooke laughed.

"Nathan? As in your brother, Nathan? Nathan Lee? Are you serious?"

"I saw you two together. You were slow dancing one night after hours at the Den."

"I was just teaching him. He was nervous because there's this special girl…"

"I know. He told me. It's Haley."

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess your little waltz lessons paid off. They worked it out, Nate and hales. They're gonna give a relationship a try."

"Good. Good for them. I hope it all works out and they're happy."

"Me too."

"Yeah right", she laughed.

"I mean it. I want happiness for them, for myself…for you."

"Like that'll ever happen", Brooke rolled her eyes.

"I didn't lie to you and I'm sorry for being mean."

She didn't answer and he realized then that in fact it was hopeless. Defeated, Lucas walked away.

"How do I know?" she asked.

He was so far away and her voice was so soft that he could barely make out her words.

"What?" he asked, walking back towards her.

Brooke looked at him skeptically.

"How do I know it's going to different this time?"

"You don't. You just have to trust me. You have to go with your heart."

"That's a real gamble. What happens if you break it?"

"I won't."

"I can't be sure of that."

"You just have to let me prove it to you."

Brooke nodded."

"Fine but it won't be that easy so don't think for a minute that it will. Actions speak louder than words and the first sign of trouble, the first hint of you getting all Jekyll and Hyde…I'm out, Luke."

"That's fair."

"Oh it's more than fair."

He extended his hand.

"Can I take you inside? Buy you a drink, maybe?"

She shook her head.

"No thanks. Prove yourself another night. I'm tired and I don't feel like hanging out anymore. I'm going home,"

"Okay. What about tomorrow?"

"I don't know…"

"Or the next day?"

"Why don't you ask me then?"

He nodded.

"I'm not giving up. I'm gonna show you that I can be a man worthy of being in your company. I'm going to make you fall in love with me…just like you made me fall for you."

"We'll see, Lucas."

He leaned in and kissed her for the second time, a soft but lingering, passionate kiss that left both their toes curling.

"Yeah", he winked. "We will."