The limousine descended towards the airport. Henry and Linda Davis, Bevin Farthing, Peyton Sawyer and Killian Morris sat comfortably chatting in the back. Brooke could only watch out the window as the town, along with all her dreams, slowly passed by.
"Oh, looks like I'll have just enough time to get home and pick up Candi from the clinic before I have to hop that plane to Paris. I have a big show to do", Bevin announced.
Brooke looked concerned. Candi was Bevin's beloved Maltese.
"What happened to Candi? Is she alright?"
"She's fine now but it was touch and go for a second. Oh Brookie, it was awful! You should have been there. They had to hospitalize her and finally she was diagnosed with depression. Poor thing. We still have no idea what caused it but ten thousand dollars in therapy followed by a week long stay at Miss Jane's Doggie Day Spa in Los Angeles seems to have cured her right up."
Brooke wanted to laugh out loud. Or scream. Or cry. She loved animals as much as the next person and believed wholeheartedly that pet owners should treat them as family but spending five figures on a dog shrink and spa? That was a little overboard. She could just imagine what Haley, Deb, Skills, Christina, Nathan or Lucas would say.
"Well, I do hope she is better", Linda said, "And I hope you return from France in time to participate in the planning of Killian and Brooke's long awaited nuptials…"
"Easy, Linda", Killian flashed that million dollar smile. "There is no immediate rush for a wedding."
"And why ever not? You have waited long enough and I'm sure Brooke is as eager to move plans along as the rest of us, now aren't you, dear?"
"Mom, I…"
"Like I said, there is no need to rush. We have nothing but time. I'd like from Brooke to adjust and get settled. No more pressure. And whenever my beautiful fiancée is ready, I will be too."
Brooke gave a relieved smile. At least Killian was making some kind of an effort to be understanding and considerate of her feelings.
"You mean all that?"
"Of course I do, my love. I can't help but place some of the blame on myself for your abrupt departure. Perhaps I wasn't attentive or caring enough. I want you to know that all of that has changed. We can take things as slowly as you see fit. It's your terms, Brooke. Whatever you want."
"Really, Killian?"
He nodded.
"We'll do this your way. Just tell me how you feel and what you want."
Brooke looked right at him.
"Fine. I want space. That's what I need the most. And I want us to take our time and really get to know each other all over again. I want long talks. I want nights looking up at the stars and Blockbuster nights where we just veg out in bed or on the couch and watch movie marathons. On Sundays I want to make brunch and hang out and catch and NBA game or NASCAR race on TV. I want to go dancing and eat homemade Marble Cake and I want ice cream sundaes and nights playing in the rain."
She said it hopefully, almost dreamily, as if in another world. However the mood came to a halt as everyone in the car, including Peyton, erupted into thunderous laughter. Brooke was stunned. Stunned, hurt and humiliated.
"Marble Cake and ice cream?" Bevin scoffed. "It's so fattening just hearing you talk about it makes me want to run to the nearest toilet and ram my fingers down my throat. You know what they say…'a moment on the lips, equals a lifetime on the hips'. All those carbs and calories? Gross! So, so totally yucky!"
"NBA and NASCAR?" Linda asked. "My goodness, Brooke, what on earth has gotten into you? What self respecting young lady would even entertain that?"
Brooke couldn't believe it.
"I happen to like it. It's not so bad if you give it a chance."
Linda sighed and shook her head.
"Good luck finding a shrink good enough to deprogram her", she warned Killian.
"Brooke, darling, I suppose if those are the hobbies you are into now, I could get us front row tickets to a Knicks game or something. I am more than willing to compromise but I hope you're at least willing to meet me halfway. Don't forget about the things you used to love…watching my charity polo games or going to the theatre."
"Whatever", Brooke continued to sulk.
Linda gave her a stern look.
"Brooke, please refrain from the attitude. I thought we discussed this already."
"No, Mom. You discussed while I listened, just like usual."
"Young lady…"
"Just leave her be", Henry took his wife by the hand.
Brooke just kept staring out the window.
"Oh Brookie, don't pout. It's okay. One week back in the city, doing what you used to do and you'll be good as new. You'll forget all about why you left. And all of us will be here to help you with anything you need. We're here for you, babe."
Brooke scoffed.
"And just how do you guys plan on being there for me? I mean, really, Bevin. Besides a facial and a pedicure, what do you really plan on doing for me?"
"I'm here to help. Whatever you want or need. And we'll have lots of fun doing it. Oh and talking…you said something about not being able to talk to us before. So we can try that."
"What would we talk about, Bev?"
"Whatever you want, sweetie. It's my job to support you and make you feel good about yourself. That's all of our job now."
"Really? Well, you guys are doing a hell of a job already. I mean, I feel totally confident and supported now that you've all just laughed at me."
"We weren't laughing at you", Killian said.
"Well, you sure as hell weren't laughing with me because I don't think it was funny", Brooke shot back.
"I apologize", he tried to hug her.
She made a scowling face and roughly pushed his hand away.
"Brooke!" Linda reprimanded.
"Darling, we didn't mean any harm", her father tried to reassure her. "We had no idea you had become so sensitive. And forgive us but it is more than a little strange to hear you speak of such things you never seemed to enjoy before."
"I changed, Daddy. This is me now and it's who I'm going to be so you better all get used to it."
"Why must you insist on being so different?" Linda asked.
"It's okay to be different, Mom. It took me a long time to get that. It's okay not to conform or be a chameleon and just blend in to whatever surroundings and whatever group of people are around you. It's okay to chase your dreams and take risks or do something totally impulsive every once in a while. I've always known that, it just took a little while to get over the fear and actually go for it. It was inside me all along even when I was living a lie. And I know I wasn't the only one that felt that way but I guess I was the only one ballsy enough to stay true to myself", Brooke said, looking right at Peyton.
The blonde looked hurt for a minute before lowering her head.
"Well", Linda cleared her throat. "It has been a very long day, a long few days actually. Everyone is tired and cranky, some more than others. There is no use in starting a senseless quarrel. We should be at the airport soon and I'm sure all will be better once we are home."
Everybody agreed with their silence but Brooke was so mad she felt like screaming. How dare they! Nothing had changed. They said they understood her now but they really didn't. What the hell was she doing? What was she going back to?
Brooke looked briefly over at Killian before closing her eyes. Their future together was clear. Once back in New York, he would continue to walk on eggshells around her. He would cater to her every whim and desire no matter how unladylike or asinine it appeared in his eyes. From the outside in, it would look like a doting fiancé appeasing his beloved. But for Brooke it was nothing more than being patronized. After all, she was the one who'd gone through the life altering changes. What more could she expect from him, from any of them? He was still the same old Killian. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just who he was. Her mother would remain the same overbearing, egotistical, uppity, high society broad she had always been and her father was still the quiet, peacemaking, loyal man who just sort of went with the flow. Bevin would always be Bevin…a well meaning, but ditzy, stuck up material girl. And Peyton? Peyton was more complex than the others. Brooke preferred to remember the old P. Sawyer. The one with guts and ideas, the punk rock rebel trapped in a socialite's body.
Absolutely nothing was going to change! And Brooke was a hypocrite for calling Peyton a conformist because by her giving in and going back to New York, then what the hell was she? Had she been foolish enough to believe that her mother's tears would guarantee future tolerances and understanding? And had she dared to think her original thoughts of married life with Killian…the mansions and the cars, the 2.5 kids, the society life, the golf tournaments and vacations abroad…would change? No! No, it wouldn't. None of it. New York was no Tree Hill and Killian Morris was no Lucas Scott.
Lucas? God, just the thought or mention of his name was enough to bring tears to her eyes. And as much as she missed him in that moment, she could have drowned in her own tears. Lucas Scott. Lucas Eugene Scott. She remembered the unlikable, cocky, male diva who had annoyed her beyond belief when they first met. The guy who could be blunt, rude and downright mean at times. The guy who drank too much, partied with strippers, and cheated on his wife. A man who hated himself on the inside and battled through so much to make a change. Sure he had fallen by the wayside plenty of times. He had jumped to conclusions, spoke without first thinking, and let his sometimes uncontrollable temper get the best of him. He had struggled, messed up, hurt people, apologized and then repeated the same cycle over and over and over again. But in the end he had triumphed. Goodness had somehow made the badness go away. Lucas overcame incredible odds and won his war with himself. He had proved to be a charming, funny, wonderful person. And Brooke had fallen in love. All the things she wanted and liked, the simple things, he seemed to want and like as well. They could talk for hours about everything and nothing at the same time. They somehow "got" each other's brains.
If she could already imagine life with Killian, then visions of life with Lucas would be the opposite. Despite his many lifestyle changes, at heart the boy was still a drifter. He had a restless spirit and his indecisiveness might mean a life of "pick up here, let's leave and go there". No set plan or career, no real financial security as the last thing he wanted was to be controlled by the Scott family money. And while Killian was near perfect and together, Lucas would surely relapse from time to time. He was prone to overreacting, starting a stupid fight, or having one too many drinks. While Brooke and Killian had never had a real disagreement about anything, it would be inevitable a couple of knock out, drag down fights with Lucas. They were too passionate, too alike but at the same time very different.
Life with Killian would be perfect. Idealistic. Marvelous. To die for. Joyous. Euphoric. Every single day for the rest of their lives together would be set and planned. It would be a lavish lifestyle where Brooke could have whatever she wanted. She'd be the toast of the town and eventually a few of gorgeous, well behaved children would follow.
Life with Lucas would be like living in the eye of a hurricane. Tumultuous. Uncertain. Scary. Unpredictable. Nerve racking. Nothing would go the way it was supposed to. He would do whatever on a whim's notice, moving from career to career, place to place as he tussled with the final struggle to figure out who he was. She'd become a member of the infamous Scott clan, a family with a name and reputation to be respected yet still gossiped about. And maybe just maybe the future would bring a couple of kids, gorgeous yet as unruly and wild as their father.
It was two very dissimilar worlds. Brooke had had two choices? What would any woman in her right mind do?
The limousine accelerated slowly after the stoplight turned green and veered into the lane for the airport's exit. Brooke, without further thought, opened the car door and jumped out. She heard them gasp and scream her name and she swore her father tried to grab her by the shirttail. She landed onto the hard concrete of a sidewalk belly first with a loud and painful thud. She had a few minor cuts and bruises on her face, arms and knees, and she was covered in dirt but what could one expect after jumping out of a slow moving vehicle? It might have been terrifying and slightly traumatic for a normal person but Brooke Davis wasn't your average, everyday Jane. Instead of tears, she got up with a smile and brushed herself off. She began walking back to town as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened even as the limo screeched to a halt a few feet away. As she expected, the peanut gallery jumped out in hot pursuit but Brooke didn't give a damn.
"Brookie, have you gone off the deep end?" Bevin's heels clicked as she ran.
"My God! Are you okay?" her father's voice asked with concern.
"Sweetheart, stop! Please", Killian begged.
"Brooke Penelope Davis soon to be Morris, you come back here this instant! Have you lost what's left of your mind? How humiliating! How dare you make such a scene! Oh if the country club could see you now. Your grandmother is turning over in her grave!" Linda yelled.
Brooke finally stopped and turned around, the smile still on her face.
"No, Mother, I haven't lost my mind. I admit it was gone for a while but I got it back and now I'm about to make the second smartest decision of my life, only second because coming to Tree Hill in the first place was the smartest, but I am going to do the second smartest and go back."
Linda was beyond horrified.
"No, you won't!"
"Yes, I will!"
"Brooke!"
"Brookie, you're making a mistake! You were just depressed, just like my Candi. A few weeks of therapy and a stint at a people spa and you'll be just fine."
Brooke laughed and shook her head.
"My only mistake was listening to you guys."
Her father walked up to her.
"Angel, you know you're Daddy's little special princess and you know I have never been real strict with you but you can't do this. Brooke, you must come back home. It's the only way."
"I'm sorry, Daddy", she whispered, as she kissed his cheek. "The only way is a few miles in front of us down by the river."
Killian shook his head.
"Don't do this, Brooke. I beg you. We love each other. Come back to me. You know, I would give you the world."
She took his hand.
"I know you would. You've already given me everything. You are a wonderful dream of a man and a human being altogether. And one day you are going to make a deserving woman very lucky…but it just won't be me. I'm sorry, Killian", she said as she removed the ring and gave it back to him. "I do love you but I'm not in love with you. How can I marry you when my heart belongs to someone else? I'm sorry."
He, along with everyone else besides Linda, was speechless. Brooke simply turned and walked away as Linda ran after her and spun her daughter around to face her.
"Don't do this! I refuse to allow you to ruin your life!"
"It's not up to you, Mom."
Brooke took a few more steps.
"Brooke! Stop! You come back here!"
"No."
Obviously, Brooke had made up her mind and it wouldn't be deterred.
"Sweetheart, please", Linda's voice began to crack. "Don't be so hasty. Just calm down and think about what you're doing. Let's be rational for a moment…"
"Mom, I am being rational. Don't you see? It's great. This feels so good. My head hasn't been this clear since, since…well, since I got off a bus one rainy night in the middle of a small river town looking seriously ridiculous in an overpriced fur."
"Brooke, no. Think about your future. Do you really want to live in a place called Tree Hill for the rest of your life?"
"Yes."
"Do you really want to wear clothes from Wal-Mart?"
"I prefer Target but whatever. Wal-Mart kicks ass."
"You are an award winning fashion journalist. You are a college graduate. You have seen and done things all over the world most your age would kill to experience. Are you willing to throw all that away for serving hot dogs and whiskey in a smelly old diner?"
"Yes, Mom."
"That boy is nothing but trouble. You'll never be happy. You'll find yourself stuck in small town America with your hair done at Supercuts pushing a second hand baby carriage. Is that what you want your life to be like?"
"As long as it is with Lucas, I don't care."
"This is insane, Brooke. Don't you all agree?"
The others nodded and murmured their opinions that concurred. All except one.
"Go."
Everyone looked at Peyton in disbelief.
"What did you just say?" Brooke asked.
Peyton gave a small smile.
"Dude, you heard me. I think you should go."
"Peyton, you are not helping", Linda hissed through tightly pursed lips.
"Pey…" Brooke softened.
"You were right. Everything you've been saying is exactly right. I totally get why you left and I think it's the bravest, smartest, coolest thing ever done. And I admire your balls, B. Davis. You always thought I was the strong one but I wish I had half of the guts you do. Yeah, I was pissed because you were wrong before by not calling but after being in this car today, who the hell could blame you? Everybody here loves you and we want you with us but it's for selfish reasons. You're your own woman, Brooke and you can make your own decisions. You deserve to be happy and it's obvious Tree Hill and Lucas Scott make you happy."
Brooke's smile was joined by tears of joy and surprise.
"You mean that?" she asked, hugging the woman who had always been her best friend.
"You bet your ass I do. I'm damned proud of you, kid. So you keep on doing whatever it is you're doing for as long as you feel like doing it. And you're going to be just fine."
"Thank you."
"Just one more thing?"
"Yeah."
"Keep in touch this time. I know Tree Hill has computers and telephones and if all else fails, a postcard only costs 37 cents to send these days. I swear to God if I don't hear from you every few days, I am so gonna be on an airplane headed here to put my foot in your ass."
Brooke laughed.
"Yeah? Well, I might lapse a time or two just so I can see you, P. but don't worry about it. Tree Hill and Lucas doesn't change anything between us. Still hoes before bros?"
"Always", Peyton knocked fists with her.
"I don't believe this", Linda folded her arms. "Brooke Penelope, you go through with this little stunt and you are on your own forever! I mean that! Consider your father and I, and our money along with it, dead to you. You are no longer apart of this family!"
Brooke took a deep breath.
"Mom, I am so sorry you feel that way. You and Dad mean everything to me and it really hurts that you'd say something like that. If you love me, you have to love all the things about me and one day I pray that you'll find forgiveness and acceptance within your hearts. Until then, I still love you and I'll always be here because no matter what, you're still my parents and I'm still your daughter. Even after all this, I wouldn't trade that for the world. I can't change your feelings or way of thinking but you were wrong when you say I'll be on my own forever. That's just not true. See, that's the beauty about Tree Hill. I've met some pretty awesome people here and as long as they're in my life, then I'll never be alone."
Linda just shook her head.
"Come along, Henry", she ushered her husband back in the car.
Bevin and Killian just stood there with looks of sadness and disbelief on their faces before finally retreating towards the limo.
Peyton grinned as she put her hands in her pockets.
"Dude, that is gonna be a long ass ride home", she quipped.
"Sorry."
"It's cool. I can handle it. I'm still a rebel at heart, remember? Peyton Sawyer lives for the Scarlet letter on her forehead."
"It doesn't have to be that way, Pey. It's not too late for you. Stay here. Stay with me. It'll be just like we planned, just like we used to talk about."
Peyton gave her a shrug and a small smile.
"I can't, Brooke. I'm sorry…"
"Yes, you can."
"True. I can…but I won't."
"Why not?"
"Maybe you're right. I'm a conformist now. I'm comfortable. I'm exactly what we said we would never be. I guess in my old age, I became soft somewhere along the way."
"I'll miss you. I mean that. And the invitation will always be open."
"I know it will."
"Love you", Brooke hugged her again.
"Love you, too."
"Good bye, Peyton."
"This isn't good bye. It's just see you later for now. I'll be back. I'll come visit. This place isn't so bad, besides the boys are kind of cute."
"I'm holding you to that."
They released hands and waved, smiling through tears until Peyton disappeared into the car and the car disappeared from view. Suddenly they were gone and a grubby, scratched up but oddly content Brooke was left standing there. She smiled as she walked. It was the right thing for her. It was her choice and no one else's. No regret ever…until Brooke looked up at the sign that said Downtown – 6 Miles. Brooke groaned as she looked down at the heels Bevin had let her borrow. They were already starting to pinch. She sighed. Why hadn't she had her little epiphany five and a half miles back? Brooke laughed out loud. Her head was clear, her spirit and soul were free and her heart was happy. She couldn't stop smiling about the future and with a six mile walk ahead of her, she had nothing but time on her side.