I'm so sorry it took so long to update. School's been killer and I've been doing essays left and right. This chapter caused me a lot of stress and I don't like it that much..but I hope you leave a nice review :)

And that song I used is sort of embarassing... it's "I will come to You" by Hanson.

Brooke felt uncomfortable as Haley's eyes stared straight at her, as if she just came back from the dead or something. Taylor watched the two stare at each other in silence and started to feel uncomfortable. Brooke pulled the red bow off of her, suddenly feeling like a complete idiot and tossed it aside.

"Happy Birthday," she said again, taking small steps before enveloping Haley into a hug. When Haley didn't return the hug her face fell but she showed no sign of letting go.

"Surprise," Taylor said in a fake voice that made Haley pull away from Brooke and look at her. Brooke bit her lip, wondering why it was so hard for her to communicate with her sister. She hadn't seen her since the summer and all she wanted to do was hug her for a while. "Say something, Hay."

Haley stared at Brooke again, studying her from head to toe. It was the same old Brooke, but something seemed a bit off about her. "I, I, what are you doing here?" She stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"I came back for your birthday. Why else would I be here?" Brooke answered in confusion. She hated the newfound awkwardness between her and Haley and it was killing her to have Haley give her a cold reception.

"Oh, well thanks." Haley whispered, giving Brooke the best smile she could muster. "I just, didn't think you were coming home."

Brooke shook her head as if that was the craziest thing she had ever heard. "And miss your birthday? I don't think I could ever live with myself." Haley gave her a small nod and was going to open her mouth when Brooke quickly continued on with her story. "I only told you that because I wanted it to be a surprise. I planned on coming home all along."

"You did?" Taylor said for Haley, who was in pretty much in shock. Haley glanced down at her arm and stole a look at Taylor before turning back to Brooke. Taylor sighed, remembering the living hell they went through the previous night when Haley found out Brooke wasn't coming home.

"Uh-huh," Brooke replied, obviously not picking up on the tension lingering in the air. "It was so hard to keep that in, but I managed to! And now I'm here and we can celebrate," she squealed, throwing her arms around Haley again, squeezing her tight.

Haley let Brooke hold onto her for a bit before pulling back and crossing her arms, "Oh, that's very nice of you. I was surprised."

"I'll let you two talk," Taylor told them, forcing a smile when Brooke looked up at her. If she known Brooke was coming home all along she would have told Haley, figuring it would give her something to look forward to. The two younger girls watched the blonde turn around slowly and walk out the door, closing it behind her softly.

"So," Brooke began, sitting on the edge of Haley's bed. She hated how unresponsive Haley was being. She thought Haley would be happier than she was, hugging her tightly and not wanting to let her go. "How's your day been?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and made her way over to the bed, sitting down next to Brooke. "Okay," she mumbled, staring at the floor. Brooke nodded and tried to suppress the sigh that was rising in her throat. "How was your bus ride?"

"It was long and boring," Brooke told her with a smile on her face. She was just so anxious to come home that she cursed at every stop the damn bus made. "But it was all worth it in the end, you know? I get to see you, Taylor and Peyton."

"Yeah," Haley agreed, rising to her feet. "Well I won't keep you then, Peyton probably wants to see you."

"She can wait," Brooke said in confusion, at her wits end with Haley's attitude. "Haley, what's the matter? Aren't you happy I'm home?" Haley turned away and fought back the tears that were forming in her eyes. She was sick of crying and she was doing her best not turn around and blow up at Brooke. But it was hard considering the circumstances.

"Yeah I am happy you're home," Haley snapped, not being able to hold it in anymore. "But you can't just waltz in here and pretend everything's going to be okay." Brooke swallowed hard, not prepared for what Haley had just said. "Why are you really home, Brooke?"

"I couldn't take it anymore," Brooke sighed, running her hands through her hair before getting off the bed. "I couldn't take all the calls telling me to come home. Do you know how many fights I got into with Karen and Taylor?" Haley shook her head and fell silent, listening to Brooke go on. "I lost count. That's how many times we fought over this whole god damn issue. Taylor called me, Karen called me, Karen's boyfriend called me. Deb Scott called me and I'm pretty sure Dan called me too. But when Theresa called me, the person that wanted me to go away in the first place, and told me that I had to come home, I knew something was wrong."

"What did Taylor and Karen say?" Haley asked quietly, tugging her sleeves. She was hoping neither of the two mentioned her cutting to Brooke.

Brooke threw her hands up in the air, trying to count the times both of them called her. "I don't know, Haley, a lot of stuff. Taylor called me last night and threatened my life if I didn't come home. Will you please just tell me what's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Haley whispered, cursing herself for lying. She couldn't understand why she was having a hard time with Brooke being home. All those nights she wished her sister would come home came true, but she wasn't excited about it. "I really am. So you can go back after Christmas."

"I'm not going anywhere," Brooke said, smiling when Haley looked up at her. "It took me a while, but I convinced Turner to let me enroll again. Luckily my credits from the school in Chapel Hill were accepted so we can graduate together."

"Cool," Haley said, rolling her eyes at her attempt to hide her excitement. "Did you finish all of your college applications?" Brooke nodded, remembering all the hell she went through with them a few months before.

"Tree Hill community college," Brooke laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "I figured you're going for the big Ivy League school, it doesn't bother me anyways. So which school is it? Harvard? Princeton?"

"Yale," Haley said quietly, her cheeks blushing when Brooke squealed. "I did early decision so I should find out pretty soon."

"You'll get in," Brooke told her confidently, suddenly feeling the awkwardness slowly beginning to fade away. "Then when you do, I can get a Yale sticker for my car! Hey, maybe your roommate will be Rory Gilmore."

Haley laughed slightly before rolling here eyes at her sister. "Brooke, don't be stupid. First of all, I haven't even gotten accepted and second of all," she said, looking around before dropping her voice into a low whisper, "Rory didn't go back to school, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Brooke laughed, playfully slapping herself on the forehead. "Sorry, I forgot. Anyways," she began, listening to the silence that lingered in the air between her and her sister. "What's new with you?"

"Nothing," Haley lied, hating herself for not telling Brooke the truth. It was so easy to tell Taylor, why couldn't she tell Brooke? "I'm still the same Haley, just a year older now." Brooke nodded along with her and gave up trying to make conversation. "I'm going to go take a shower, don't go anywhere."

Brooke let out a laugh as Haley skipped out the door before letting out a huge sigh. She got up from the bed and found Taylor in the hallway. "She's not the same, Taylor."

"Well, Brooke, people change," Taylor told her, giving her a sympathetic smile and placing her hand on Brooke's shoulder. "Just give her time. She's got a lot of stuff on her mind right now."

"I wish someone would tell me what's going on," Brooke breathed out, tired of both her sisters lying to her face. "What's wrong with her?"

Taylor shrugged, feeling horrible that she was keeping this from Brooke. "It's not my place to tell you, Brooke. When Haley's ready, she'll tell you."

"How bad is it?" Brooke asked, biting her lip in frustration. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that it wasn't anything she was going to like. "Taylor, please tell me," she pleaded, looking up at her older sister with a glazed look in her eyes.

"I can't Brooke," Taylor whispered, looking down at her sister with a sad smile. "I want to tell you, I want to tell you so bad, but I can't, I just can't."

"Is it something serious?" Brooke wondered, her stomach churning when Taylor shook her head gravely. "Don't do this, Taylor. Just tell me, please tell me."

Taylor shook her head furiously, wanting to move on with the subject. "Brooke, it's her birthday and it's Christmas tomorrow. Just let her enjoy the holiday because once it's over she's in for a long haul." Brooke watched as her eyes filled with tears and began to get agitated.

"What the hell is going on?" Brooke questioned, her voice rising in anger. "You can't expect me to pretend everything is okay when it's not. Taylor, just tell me what's wrong. What's wrong with Haley?"

"She, she," Taylor took a deep breath, trying to gain her thoughts. Her mind was in a jumble from last night and she was still trying to get the images out of her brain. "Haley's hurting. And the way she deals with it, it's not-"

"I changed my mind," Haley said, emerging from the bathroom, stopping when she saw her two sisters deep in conversation. "Okay, it looks like I'm interrupting something. I'll just go in my room until you're done. Brooke, could you come in after?"

"Sure," Brooke whispered, watching Haley nod her head before going into her bedroom and shutting the door. Taylor sighed and yelped as Brooke grabbed her arm and dragged her into a different room. "Finish that sentence."

Taylor shook her head, knowing what she was doing was wrong but at the same time she couldn't betray Haley's trust. "Stop," she hissed, glaring at Brooke's impatient face. The two of them locked eyes for a good 30 seconds before Taylor broke the silence. "Go spend time with Haley. If she doesn't tell you by tomorrow, then I'll tell you."

"Fine," Brooke snapped, turning around on her heel and storming off down the hall. She stopped in front of Haley's door and took a minute to calm herself down before entering the room. She saw Haley sitting on the edge of the bed fiddling with her hair. "What's up?"

Haley rose to her feet and looked at Brooke nervously. "I need to change," she said quickly, waiting for Brooke's reaction. Brooke looked at her in confusion and raised her eyebrows.

"Um, okay. I can leave the room if you want," Brooke answered, still confused as to what Haley was trying to say.

"No, no. I need to change, change something about myself," Haley corrected, using her arms to emphasize her point. "I want to go back to school after Christmas break and have people know who I am. I want to do something exciting to finish off my senior year of high school with."

A smile spread across Brooke's lips as she rested her hands on her hips. "Well then, I have just the thing," she said, holding out her hand for Haley to take and led her out of the room.

xxxx

"Oh my dear god," Taylor said in shock as her mouth fell open staring at Haley's new blonde hair. "Hay…wow."

"Do you like it?" Haley asked shyly, running her hands through her blonde locks. Brooke looked on with a proud smile at how hot Haley looked. "Is it too Jessica Simpson like? Because that's not the look I was going for."

Taylor laughed and shook her head, still trying to get over Haley's new appearance. "You look hotter than Jessica Simpson you little sexpot." Haley's cheek blushed and turned away when Brooke nudged her with her hip.

"See baby, didn't I say you looked hot?" Brooke squealed, running her hands through her sister's hair. The doorbell rang, interrupting the fixation on Haley's hair. "I'll get it," Brooke said, skipping down the stairs and opening the door.

"Hot guy for Christmas…check," she said, leaning up against the door and flashing her bright smile at the man on the porch. "Hi, I'm Brooke," she extended her hand out for him to shake.

Ben laughed and shook her hand, letting himself in and waiting for Brooke to shut the door behind him. "And I'm your sister's boyfriend." He watched in amusement as her face fell and she raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow at him.

"Big or little?" She asked, taking a seat next to him on the couch. He was definitely too old to be Haley's boyfriend but with the way Haley had been acting she couldn't tell.

"Um, big. Me dating your little one would probably get me thrown in jail," he laughed, running his hand through his hair. "So you're the infamous Brooke I've heard so much about, huh?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and flipped her hair, wondering what the guy in front of her knew about her. "Uh, sure. Taylor's upstairs if you want to go see her. We dyed Haley's hair. She actually looks like Taylor now," she laughed and rose to her feet, sitting back down when Haley came down the stairs.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something," Ben said, gesturing for Haley to sit down. Haley took a seat next to Brooke and looked at Ben in confusion. "Taylor's still upstairs right?" Haley nodded and motioned for him to continue. "Okay, well I wanted to ask you this, just to make sure it was okay."

"Look, dude, whatever it is just spit it out," Brooke said, rolling her eyes at him. "Are you asking us permission for you to propose to Taylor?"

Haley's eyes widened and a smile spread upon her lips. She loved Ben and how happy he made Taylor. Ben nodded his head nervously and grabbed the ring out of his coat pocket to show them. "Oh, Ben, it's beautiful. She'll love it."

"Well before I say yes," Brooke said, crossing her arms and giving Ben her best interrogating look. "I don't even know much about you. I mean…how old are you? Where are you from? What do you do for work? How long have you and Taylor been dating?"

Ben shifted in his seat uncomfortably and laughed nervously. "Well, I must say, you're quite the protector, Brooke. I am 27 and I am from Maine. I'm a social worker downtown and I've known Taylor for about 2 and a half years. We've been dating since the summertime but I know in my heart that she is the right one for me. And if you'll let her be my wife, I'll make sure she never gets hurt again."

"It's just, it's just that Taylor's literally been through hell and back. With our parents dying, then being forced to give up her daughter and then her dying-"

"Wait, what?" Brooke asked, trying to comprehend the last sentence. "Did you say her daughter died too?" Haley realized what she had said and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "When did she die and how come I never knew?"

Haley was at a loss for words, partially because she didn't know the whole story herself. "Brooke, I, she just told me that one day when you went to your cheerleading clinic. She hasn't brought it up since and I don't want to say anything."

Ben twiddled his thumbs, debating whether or not to tell them the whole story. "The thing with Emily was complicated. Dan forced her to sign the adoption papers against her own will. We found a nice home for her and it seemed like everything was going smoothly. But no one saw that accident coming, it was just sudden."

"Poor, Taylor," Brooke whispered, looking up at Ben. "I, uh, I didn't know about that. Taylor likes to hide things from everyone because she thinks she can deal with things on her own."

Haley bit her lip and remembered all the stuff that she made Taylor keep from Brooke. "You promise not to hurt her?" She asked, looking up and smiling when Ben nodded his head confidently. "Well then I give you my permission. Brooke?"

"Yeah," Brooke said with a smile, "but if you do hurt her, we'll kick your ass, got that? We may look small and tiny but we throw a pretty mean punch."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ben said with a laugh, reaching over to hug his two possible sister-in-laws. "Now if you don't mind, I have a question to ask!" Brooke and Haley watched him skip up the stairs and smiled, knowing that he was the right guy for their sister.

xxxx

"Your sisters are crazy," Ben mumbled as Taylor dragged him outside in the cold, snowy weather. "Normal people don't go outside in the snow, they like to stay inside and keep warm." Taylor rolled her eyes and gently whacked him in the arm.

"Well my sisters aren't normal," she said with a laugh, stopping in the middle of the backyard. "In fact they nuts and you're just going to have to get used to them if you want to marry me." Ben laughed nervously and cursed as a snowball connected with the back of his head. "And they like to throw things at other people."

Brooke and Haley came skipping over with their hands behind their backs. Taylor shook her head, telling them not to do whatever they were going to do next. "I swear if you hit me I'll kill you," she said just as Haley tossed a snowball at her face. Brooke stifled her laughter and let it out when Taylor threw one back at Haley.

Ben looked on in amusement as the three sisters began to pick up the snow off the ground and toss it at one another. He was happy to see Taylor and Haley acting as sisters again and not just two people who lived under the same roof.

He walked over to them and couldn't help but laugh when he saw Brooke and Haley piled on top of Taylor. "Okay, um girls," he said, gently removing Haley off of Brooke and Brooke off of Taylor. "I think we need to let Taylor breathe."

"She could breathe," Haley replied with an eye roll. "And I know for a fact because Brooke's fat ass was in my face, not Taylor's."

"Shut up, blondie," Brooke shot back, chucking a snowball at her head. Haley's eyes widened and stood in shock for a good 30 seconds. "You wouldn't dare," Brooke said when Haley held a snowball in her hand.

Taylor rolled her eyes and knocked the snowball out of Haley's hand before she could throw it at Brooke. "I'll hit her," she mumbled, aiming straight at Brooke's face. "Nothing wrong with being a blonde."

"Yeah," Haley agreed with a smirk, enjoying the look on Brooke's face. "Nothing wrong with being a blonde. It looks you're the odd one out now, Brookie."

Brooke rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. You know how that saying goes, blondes tease but brunettes please," she raised her eyebrows suggestively. Ben bit his lip to stop himself from laughing but couldn't help it when Taylor and Haley laughed.

"Where the hell did you hear that?" Taylor asked, still laughing at the phrase that came out of her sister's mouth. "Blondes have more fun." Haley nodded her head in agreement and crossed her arms, trying to imitate her older sister.

"Okay first of all," Brooke started, staring at both of her sisters. "I don't remember where I heard that phrase and secondly, Haley you've been a blonde for like 2 hours! And third…shut up!"

"Brooke is right you know," Ben cut in, adjusting his hat. "Brunette do please, isn't that right?" Brooke smiled and nodded in agreement. "Although you shouldn't be pleasing at your age…"

Brooke snickered and patted him on the shoulder. "It's a little too late for that." Both Taylor and Haley nodded, knowing it was true. "Okay, it's really kind of cold standing out here so I'm going inside. Have fun doing whatever."

"Wait, I'll come with you," Haley yelled after as Brooke started to go in the house. She caught up to her inside and shut the door behind her. "They'll start making out and I'll feel awkward." Brooke laughed and peeled off her jacket, throwing it in the corner. Her boots, hat, scarf and gloves soon followed suite. Haley did the same and sat down on the table, listening to the silence that lingered in the eye.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Brooke asked, standing on her tip toes to grab two mugs from the cabinets. Haley nodded her head and watched Brooke fill the kettle with water and putting it on the stove. "So," she began, taking a seat across from Haley. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Um, okay? There's nothing going on." Brooke went to open her mouth when the doorbell rang.

"Hold that thought," she told her, getting up to her feet and heading towards the door.
She opened it and nearly did a double take when she saw who was on the other side. "Lucas."

"Hi,' he whispered softly, forcing a smile. "My mom told me you were home so I figured I'd stop by and say hi. And also say happy birthday to Haley."

"Oh, she's just in the kitchen I can go get her if you want," Brooke offered, starting to turn around. She stopped when he said it was okay and started to play with his jacket. "Do you want to come inside? You look pretty cold."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Wait here, okay?" Brooke nodded and watched him run down the pathway and open his car door. Seconds later, he reappeared with several posters in his hands. "Now before you say anything, just, just hear me out."

Lucas knew one of her favorite movies was Love Actually and how much she loved the scene where the guy showed up on Keira Knightley's doorstep with his loved confessed on several poster boards.

He took another deep breath and held up the first one, trying not to smile at the shocked look on Brooke's face.

Laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need
Won't you please bring my baby to me

In his handwriting were the lyrics to one of Brooke's favorite mainstream Christmas songs. He knew how much she loved Mariah Carey and how excited she got when she would hear the song on the radio during the holiday season.

"Lucas…"

"Just let me finish," Lucas told her softly, dropping the first poster board to the ground. Brooke slowly nodded her head and carefully ready the lyrics on the second one.

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want her for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true

Brooke felt her eyes water as her ex-boyfriend stood on her porch, practically pouring his hear out to her through song lyrics. Lucas dropped the second poster board and was left with 2 more.

Baby, all I want for Christmas…

Read the second to last one. Brooke heard the kettle from the stove go off but chose to ignore it, anticipating the last and final card. If she knew Lucas, then she knew what it was going to say, but the way they acted towards each other a few months before she left he could be throwing her a curveball and written something else on it. Lucas took one last breath and dropped the board, revealing the most important one.

…You

"Brooke, I need to be with you," Lucas confessed, tears brimming in his eyes. Brooke had never seen him cry before and she knew he was speaking from his heart. "What I did was stupid, I'll admit it. I don't know what happened, I just snapped. But if you forgive me…and I hope you can, I promise to guard your heart with my life. I will never, ever hurt you again. Please, Brooke give me another chance…"

"Lucas," Brooke choked out after a brief pause. "I don't know if I can trust you. I loved you Lucas and I still do. But if I listen to my heart, my mind is telling me I'll get hurt again. And I don't know if I'm ready to set myself up for another heartbreak."

"Brooke?" Haley called from the kitchen, slowly making her way to the living room. Lucas looked at Brooke pleadingly and tried to open his mouth but Brooke stopped him. "Who's at the door?"

"Sorry," Brooke whispered to Lucas, giving him a sad look before shutting the door in his face. "Um, no one," she said turning to Haley as Haley walked up to her. "Come on, the hot chocolate is ready," she whispered, grabbing her sister's hand and leading her into the kitchen. Brooke grabbed the kettle and poured the hot water into the two mugs sitting on the counter.

Haley grabbed the hot chocolate mix and gave one to Brooke as she sat down. They sat in silence, the only noise was the spoon clinking against the glass. Haley bit her lip, debating whether or not to start a conversation or not. Brooke looked pretty deep in thought and she wasn't sure if she was wanted to be interrupted.

"I'm glad you're home," Haley finally whispered, tensing up when Brooke looked at her. Brooke cracked a smile and nodded her head. "I missed you." She slowly got up from her seat and walked over to Brooke and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you too, baby," Brooke whispered back, standing up to her feet and letting the tears spill over from the Lucas incident. "And thanks for not holding a grudge against me." Haley laughed a little before pulling out from Brooke's embrace. "Are you having a good birthday? I'm sorry I didn't get you anything…"

Haley shook her head and wiped away the tears that were falling down Brooke's face. "No, don't worry about it. You being home is the best you could give me." She smiled and gave Brooke another hug, taking a deep breath as she felt Brooke's arms wrap around her. She hated lying to Brooke and knew Brooke would hit the fan when she found out about what she had been doing for the past couple of years.

I already have the next chapter all finished so that will be up in the next couple of days. It's when Brooke finds out about Haley. And after that chapter is posted, there's only 2 more left and I'm going to do my best to finish this before Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think.