Chapter 9

The next day

Lucas woke up to his alarm at quarter after five. He wanted to hit snooze, but he knew that if he didn't wake up now his mom would be in to, and she wasn't as nice as the alarm was. He walked to the shower and hopped in. He sat in there for a little while trying to figure out what he could do to help Brooke. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging noise on the door. He hopped out of the shower and threw on a towel and walked to the door. He knew that his mom was already at the café because she had told him while he was in the shower. He opened the front door and saw Jamie standing there. The first thing he thought was that something went wrong, but that theory was proven wrong when he saw the smile on Jamie's face. Jamie couldn't help but smile when she saw Lucas. She hated getting up as early as she had to, but she was happy because she was going to get to see Lucas. She actually kind of blushed when Lucas opened the door. She didn't know what she was doing, but she wanted to make sure that he was okay. She had tried calling him last night, but he didn't answer his phone.

"Hey Jamie, come on in." Lucas said as he stepped back to let her in.

"Thanks."

"Are you ready to go to the café?" Jamie shook her head. For some reason she couldn't say anything. She felt kind of embarrassed for some reason. "Okay, well, let me go put some clothes on and we can go." He walked out of the room with a smirk. He saw that Jamie was a little embarrassed by showing up and him being in a towel, but he was glad that she was there. He had lain awake for almost two hours trying to figure out what to do for Brooke. Lucas came out pulling a shirt on.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's get going so I don't get in trouble with my mom anymore than I already am." Jamie was a little confused.

"Why are you already in trouble with your mom? What did you do this time?" She asked that last question with a little sarcasm.

"Well, I was supposed to be home for supper, but then I needed to talk to you. So I asked you out and then after I dropped you off there were some things that I needed to sort out in my head so I just started driving. And when I stopped I found myself at the church. So, I went in and I lost track of time. She called me around eleven and I went home and got grounded for two days for not calling. She took my cell phone, internet, and cable away."

"Oh, that is why you didn't answer your phone." Lucas shook his head. "I'm sorry that I got you in trouble."

"Don't, you didn't do anything."

"Well, I still feel bad. And don't tell me I can't…it won't work."

"Fine, oh, don't let me forget to ask my mom about Brooke."

"I won't let you forget anything ever again. I want to be able to see and talk to my boyfriend." Jamie said smiling. "I would ask Brooke to stay with me, but with my dad that is probably not the smartest thing." Lucas shook his head. He wasn't sure if he agreed with that though. Maybe if Brooke would be there then her dad wouldn't hit her as much. He had thought about all these different possibilities when he was lying in bed, but nothing really helped her. Finally, he decided that if her dad didn't stop hitting her in a month he would go and tell the police. He also figured that he wouldn't tell Jamie because she would somehow talk him out of doing it. She was very good at making him do what she wanted, but in a good way. They finally made it to the café. It took them a little longer than it usually did, but that was because Karen had taken away Lucas' car keys seeing as he was grounded. When they got inside Karen and Jake were getting ready and looked at the two as they walked in.

"Jamie? What are you doing here so early? I thought you were coming in around 10?"

"I was going to, but then I remembered that Lucas was going to be going in early and I had nothing better to do." Jamie said hopping onto a stool.

"What about sleep?" Jake asked. Everyone could tell that all he wanted to be doing right that moment was sleeping.

"Well, I got plenty of it last night. I don't have a cute little baby girl waking me up at all hours of the night. Plus, I went to bed really early."

"Then you might as well get started. There is always plenty to do." Karen said. Lucas and Jake both stood there shaking their heads. "Okay, so the mornings are a little slow, but we pick up around lunchtime. Let's go get you settled." So Karen showed Jamie around the café, even though she had been there almost every day since she had moved to Tree Hill. But 12:00 came too fast and the lunch crowd plus some where crammed into the tiny café. As Jamie moved around the café pouring water and coffee and picking up plates she remembered how she would always pretend that Karen needed help so she would go around asking people if they were done eating. It wasn't that she wanted them to leave, but she wanted to help out. Everyone that came to the café knew her and so they would always find something that they didn't need or were done with that wouldn't break if she dropped it. She had always enjoyed going around and having people ask her questions, but now was a completely different story. She didn't know a lot of the people anymore. Yes, she knew some of them because they were always there, but they didn't know her like they use to. She was interrupted from her thoughts when someone ran into her.

"I'm so sorry sir; I thought I was out of the aisle. It was my fault Karen, I'm so sorry." Jamie said as she started picking up the napkins and plates that she had dropped. Karen wasn't upset, she actually felt bad for Jamie. Not only was it not her fault, but the ass that ran into her was none other than Dan Scott, the bastard father of her son.

"Geez Karen, I think you need new help, especially when they can't get out of the way of customers." Karen just glared at Dan. Then he turned his attention to Jamie. "Maybe you should learn how to be a waitress." Jamie just stared at him. "What are you? Stupid or just slow? Move your fat ass!" Just as he was saying this Haley, Nathan, and Lucas walked into the café from the back. Lucas had missed what happened because he was taking the trash out and then he ran into Nathan and Haley. Lucas could tolerate when Dan belittled him, but the things he was saying to Jamie were uncalled for. Lucas ran over to Jamie and ignoring his 'father' bent down to help her.

"Are you okay?" Jamie shook her head and continued cleaning up. Lucas stood up in front of Dan ready to punch him.

"So Lucas, I see you are sleeping with the hired help. Maybe you should have moved in with me, and then you would have learned a few things, like how to pick girls." Just as Lucas was about to punch Dan, Jamie grabbed his arm and Nathan was in front of him pushing him away.

"Luke, he isn't worth it." Nathan kept saying. While Lucas struggled to get free of Nathan's grasp, Dan just sat there laughing. The entire café was watching, but Lucas didn't care. Dan had no right to be there. Finally Jamie started calming Lucas down.

"Luke, hey, I'm fine. Forget about him. He just wants to piss you off, which is working by the way. Plus, you don't really want to hit him in front of your mom." Lucas looked at her as though she was nuts.

"Yea, actually I do. I want to smack him for her, for you, for Deb, for me and Nate, for Keith, and for everyone that has ever come in contact with that asshole." Jamie didn't know what to say or do. When she looked at Nate, he just shook his head. Then she looked back at Dan who was still laughing at the whole situation.

"Fine, but I'm only giving you one punch Luke. You better make it a good one." She said just loud enough for Lucas and Nathan to hear. Lucas walked up to Dan with an expressionless face.

"So, your girlfriend talked you into apologizing. At least she's a smart girl."

"Yea, she is. And I guess you could say she talked me into apologizing." Lucas replied as he hit Dan hard in the face.

"I'm sorry that you are such an ass of a father, husband, and human being. And I'm sorry I didn't do that earlier." Lucas turned around and walked to the back room leaving Dan laying on the floor bleeding. Karen walked up to Dan and handed him a napkin.

"Next time I wouldn't say anything bad about Jamie. Lucas is very protective of her." Karen followed her son into the back room. When he turned around Lucas was expecting to get yelled at.

"Mom, I'm sorry. He had it coming. He's had it coming for a long time. He doesn't know anything about Jamie. And I just couldn't let him continue laughing at her. She's been going through a lot." Karen didn't know what Lucas was talking about, be he had been talking so fast that he had to stop and Karen finally found a place to cut in.

"Lucas, I know that what Dan said was mean and wrong, but you still shouldn't have hit him."

"I know it was wrong, but…am I in a lot of trouble?"

"No, you are already grounded, but next time let's try another approach to getting even with Dan Scott." Karen paused for a second while Lucas nodded in agreement. "Okay, you three, you can come in here now." Jamie, Haley, and Nathan walked out from behind the freezer. They had been hiding there in hopes of being able to hear the conversation and if needed assist Lucas in getting out of being in deeper trouble.

"Karen, I'm sorry. I sort of told Lucas he could hit Dan once." Jamie said starting to explain.

"I figured. Now let's get back to work." Karen said cutting Jamie off. She walked to the front and saw everything was back to normal and Dan was gone. The four teenagers walked out a couple minutes later. She smiled at them remembering another time Lucas stood up for a friend. He always seemed to pick fights with people who were bigger than he was.

Flashback

As Karen sat on the porch with Keith, her ex-boyfriend's brother slash her best friend and the uncle of her son, she watched six year-old Abby, Lucas, and Haley playing outside with a big new ball. After only about five minutes, a neighbor boy, who was around eight, came over and just picked up the ball that was next to Abby who was fixing her shoe. Abby, being a pretty outspoken child was not very happy because she had just gotten the ball for her birthday.

"Can I have that back?" She asked nicely.

"What do you say?" The kid asked.

"Please, can we have the ball back?"

"No." That was it. She had tried to be nice.

"GIVE ME THAT BACK! IT ISN'T YOURS!" She yelled.

"Finders keepers." The boy said back. Karen was about to get up and help, but Keith grabbed her arm.

"That only works if the thing was lost in the first place. And that ball was not lost. I set it down to fix my shoe."

"Well, too bad. It found a new home in my arms. Now get out of my way pipsqueak." He said as he pushed her out of the way. Lucas and Haley were both just standing there watching, but when Lucas saw Abby fall he was over there in a second. He helped Abby up and then ran at the boy trying to tackle him. The boy just laughed and pushed Lucas away. When Lucas got up he started running again, but Abby grabbed him.

"Lucas stop, I'm fine and that boy is much bigger than you are. Let's just go in." But Lucas wouldn't listen.

"No Abby, I don't like how he always takes our toys." So he walked over and punched the kid in the stomach. It didn't hurt the kid a lot, but it did make him extremely mad. Karen saw what Lucas did, but Keith stopped her again. He figured that Lucas would learn his lesson very quickly. When the kid finally got off the ground he wound up to punch Lucas. But Lucas saw it coming and ducked which made the kid punch the tree that was in front of him.

End Flashback

Karen smiled remembering that day. The boy ran home crying and never stole another toy from them. She couldn't even punish Lucas, she yelled at him, but Keith had been there and Lucas hadn't even hit the kid hard.

"Mom, Jamie and I are going to take a lunch break. Jake and Deb said they have everything under control."

"Okay, actually you guys are done here. Just tell Jamie that she is working Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday after school and then Sunday at breakfast time. Now, go have fun with the rest of the day off. Don't forget you're grounded, so stay at the house…in the living room or kitchen ONLY." Lucas just rolled his eyes and walked out the door. Before he got too far he remembered that he had to ask his mom about Brooke.

"Hey Mom, um, I need a favor."

"Lucas, you cannot have the car. Walking home is not going to hurt either you or Jamie."

"No, that wasn't what I need a favor for. I was wondering if Brooke could stay with us for awhile. Her parents want her to move to California with them. And it would really mean a lot to Jamie and me if she stayed at least until the end of the school year." Karen just looked at her son. She had talked to the Davis' already. They had asked her because they knew how much Brooke wanted to stay in Tree Hill and they were actually going to move some of her things in later that night.

"Well, Lucas, I will have to think about it. Why don't you and Jamie go home and start some of the chores on the list that I left you."

"Mom, why?"

"Good-bye Lucas…do the chores or you won't be able to see Jamie for a week." With that Lucas walked out the door and towards Jamie.

"Sorry Jamers, we have to go do chores, mom's orders." Jamie looked at Lucas as though he was insane.

"You're kidding me right?"

"No Jamie, my mom told me that we should go home and start some of the chores on the list that she left me. If we don't do the chores I won't be able to see you for a week."

"Exactly, your list, it is NOT my list. You have to do the chores or YOU won't be able to see me for a week." Lucas knew Jamie had a point, but he figured he should at least try. "Yes, but if WE don't do the chores, then YOU will not see me for a week also." He looked at Jamie out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was not going to change her mind. "Please Jamie; I really don't want to do the chores by myself. Maybe if we do them together then…"

"Then what? We could have fun doing the chores? We both know that isn't what is going to happen. But I don't really like seeing you beg…so I guess I can help you out."

"You were going to help me al along weren't you?"

"Maybe I was…maybe I wasn't. But you will never know now." Jamie loved watching Lucas squirm. He was so cute when he felt uncomfortable. They made it back to Lucas' house with a better time than they did that morning. Maybe it was because it was getting extremely hot and they both wanted to be near a fan or maybe it was because they wanted some along time before Karen came home from the café. When they got to the house they noticed that there was a car sitting in front that neither really recognized. As they approached the house they noticed that there were a lot of suitcases in the back. "Is this Brooke's car Luke?"

"No, it isn't Brooke's. She has a silver bug, I think. Let's go in through my room." They walked to his room and walked in. They heard some people talking so Lucas grabbed the bat next to his bed.

"Do you always keep a bat next to your bed?" Jamie said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, yea…what if someone were to walk into my room in the middle of the night and try to abduct me? This is for protection."

"Well, maybe if you locked your doors at night you wouldn't need protection." They were still whispering as they made their way through the hallway. When they neared the guestroom they heard the voices getting louder. Lucas pushed the door open with the bat and walked in cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas called.

"I'm moving here Broody." A voice said from behind them. Both Lucas and Jamie jumped, but were excited when they recognized the voice as Brooke's.

"You're what?" Jamie asked astonished. "I thought you just asked your mom Luke?"

"I did just ask my mom. Brooke, I don't get it. How…why…when?"

"My parents asked your mom a couple days ago. I guess she was planning on surprising you today with me being here. We didn't expect you too be here so soon. Actually, I didn't even know that they were planning this, but what the hell. At least I get to stay until sum mer." Jamie and Brooke squealed and hugged each other. Lucas looked at the two girls and smiled. He was glad that they had become friends. He still had feelings for Brooke, but just as friends and he didn't want to see her leave. "So much for that alone time we were going to have James." Both girls laughed at Lucas. They talked the rest of the afternoon as they helped the Davis' unpack Brooke's belongings. Karen got home a little after 6:00 and after Brooke's parents left, the kids and Karen sat down for supper. After supper, the three kids sat around in Brooke's new room watching a movie and enjoying the time they could spend together.