"Brooke, take that down!"
"Why?" she asked.
"Because."
"Because what?"
"Because I am not gonna look at that for the next 12 months!"
"We have to have a calendar."
"Yeah but can it be one without naked firefighters on it."
"Sometimes you are impossible", she pouted, taking it down and pretending to be angry.
Lucas grinned as he watched her stalk around the basement apartment they now shared at Deb's. When her back was to her he ran around and tackled her, throwing onto their bed.
"Give me a kiss", he demanded.
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Because I am mad at you."
"You can never stay mad at me. It's just because I'm so darned cute and irresistible."
It had been a good six months and they had come along way. It seemed like a lifetime she since had shown up in Tree Hill and another lifetime since she had almost walked out of their lives altogether. But ever since the day Brooke had saved Brooke and jumped out of that moving car and walked six miles to Deb's Den, everything had been solid.
The couple still remained friendly with Nathan and Haley and while the girls continued on at the Den with Deb, the two brothers were trying their hand at venturing into business together, opening up their own place that specialized in everything from car washes and detailing to installing speaker systems and car DVDs.
Deb was doing well. Her Lupus was in remission and she hadn't had a flare up in months. Her Den was still her life but she took better care of herself, not getting too stressed out, taking all her medicine and visiting the doctor regularly, exercising and eating right. And she'd even met a man. She called him her "friend" but it was obvious to all the handsome, construction worker named Lester was a very special friend. The kids had teased her endlessly but it was all in good fun. Lester was a nice person and he cared about Deb. They seemed to be happy and that was enough for everyone, especially an overprotective son who only wanted the best for his mother.
Tree Hill would always be Tree Hill and not much had changed, including the Scotts. Royal was still the gruff patriarch while Mae would always be the town's beloved and adored saint. Karen continued to immerse herself in work and in her brother in law, Keith while basketball and the bottle were still Dan's salvation as he struggled to overcome his own shortcomings. It was a series of relationships within a family that Lucas struggled to understand everyday. All his life it had haunted him but with all the transformations came peace and acceptance. Lucas had the power to change Lucas for the better and he had. But he'd never be able to change his family. They were who they were and Lucas would just have to deal with that. He had learned to live with it and it was much easier living with it with Brooke by his side.
"I'm still mad at you."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"Fine. Tell me what I have to do so you won't be mad at me."
"Put my naked, sexy, Playgirl sponsored firefighters calendar back up."
Lucas sighed.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to get used to you being mad at me…"
She hit him.
"I'd let you put a Playboy calendar up."
Lucas made a face.
"No, you wouldn't."
"Okay, I wouldn't but I'd let you put up naked photos of me."
"Brooke, you won't even let me take naked pictures of you."
She grinned.
"I will."
"When?"
She thought for a minute.
"After Peyton's visit is over. I mean, we've been friends forever and she's totally seen me naked like when we were changing or in the shower but it would be too weird to just have nude photographs of me hanging on the wall next to your grandparents' picture."
"Okay, okay. But I'm hlding you to that. The minute Peyton goes back to New York, it's me, you, a tub of chocolate sauce and my trusty digital camera."
"You're on."
He smiled.
"Wait, a minute. What do you mean Peyton has seen you naked?"
"Haven't Nathan or Skills or Tim?"
"Yeah but at the gym and it's not like we stand around checking each other's packages out."
"Neither do we?"
"And Nathan is my brother and Skills and Tim are my friends but I'll be damned if I ever got in the shower with one of them."
"It's no big deal. You're comfortable with your manhood and sexuality, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So? So am I. I mean, it's not like Peyton and I shower together for fun but a couple of times if we were getting ready and we were running late and there was only one bathroom, then why not?"
He smirked.
"Peyton is pretty hot. I can dig it. That's one shower scene I wouldn't want to miss. Beautiful faces, beautiful asses…"
"I could say the same thing about you and Skills…"
"Please don't."
"I won't and only because I so plan on hooking him up with P. Sawyer the minute she gets into town."
Lucas shrugged.
"I guess that's cool. They'd look good together and it'll be fun. Besides, it's only for a week."
"A week, my ass. We have a ton of work to do. Peyton will be in for nine days, which will leave us with exactly 216 hours to make them fall head over heels in love so Peyton won't go back to New York and she can move here and eventually we'll get houses together side by side and have lots of bad ass kids and live happily ever after. What do you think, Luke? Are you with me?"
He shook his head. Brooke always had a plan.
"Baby steps first, baby. Can we just start with dinner and a movie?"
"You're no fun", she licked her tongue out.
As promised, Brooke and Peyton had stayed in touch and their renewed friendship was stronger than ever. Brooke had been trying unsuccessfully to get Peyton to move to North Carolina but had settled for a visit. She missed her friend and looked forward to her arrival.
In fact, a part of her missed them all at some time or another. She missed her job and all the lights and noise of New York City. She missed the mother who still refused to talk to her and the father that communicated solely through pain stricken letters. She missed Bevin, as annoying as she could be and she even missed Killian. According to Peyton, he was still in mourning over the end of their engagement and Brooke's refusal to return with him to New York but he was not bitter and looking forward to dating again one day soon. Brooke hoped he would be okay. He was a good and decent man and he deserved happiness with someone nice.
"We've got to get ready to get out of here", Lucas playfully slapped her butt.
"It's time already?" she groaned.
"Unfortunately but we may as well hurry up and get it over with. Grandpa's birthday comes but only once a year, thank God, and it's sort of some unwritten rule that we grin and bear it and go to these stupid things. I'm not looking forward to it anymore than you are but at least Nate and Hales will be right there suffering along beside us."
"Do we have to?" she whined.
"Yes."
"Fine. But I'm only doing this for the quickie we get to have in your parents' bathroom."
"And the Marble Cake", Lucas reminded her with a grin. "Don't forget the Marble Cake."
Brooke sighed with contentment. Her life wasn't perfect, nor did she want it to be. But she was in love and happy and things were going well. That was more than enough for her. She'd faced tough decisions but in her heart she knew choosing Lucas Scott and Tree Hill had been the right one for her, the only one for her. And looking in those blue eyes she saw her whole future filled with promise and hope. No regrets…ever.
"Yeah", she winked at him as she stood to get dressed. "Marble Cake will always be home."