Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the WB or One Tree Hill so please don't sue. All you'd get would be some dvd's and a bunch of misc. posters :-)
Author's Note 1: My thank yous to everyone are at the bottom of this chapter. Also I just wanted to remind you that this story takes place after season two finale and all storylines are included EXCEPT the Peyton's new mother storyline. I really didn't want to focus on that so just pretend that never happened! Thanks :-)
CHAPTER NINETEEN- "Open your Eyes "
Brooke loved Christmas time. She loved the Christmas carols and the Christmas decorations, but mostly she loved the shopping. And this year there was no exception. She had been shopping for presents for months now and even though there was just three days till Christmas she was still in the mall.
Brooke moved through the crowd of people and called for Lucas. When she didn't find him she gave up and headed towards her last shop, a toy store for Jenny. "There you are," Lucas called. He grabbed her wrist to turn her around and she smiled slightly. She blushed and held up three shopping bags.
"I was trying to find you," she reasoned with him. He rolled his eyes and she shook her head no. Brooke could tell by the look on his face that he had done enough shopping for Christmas and was ready to leave. But she still needed to pick up a few things for Jenny and Lucas was going to have to wait. "I have to get some presents for Jenny," Brooke explained. "You can wait here, I don't care."
Lucas thought for a moment as he watched Brooke walk off into the store. After realizing he had been stuck in the mall for three hours and had already lost Brooke twice, he decided that letting her walk away from him again would not be a smart thing to do. "Oh no you don't," he said as he pushed past a few customers. He excused himself and grabbed a hold of Brooke's hand firmly in his own. "I have to make sure you don't spend all of your money remember?"
"But it's Christmas Lucas. Tis the season," Brooke sang jollily.
Lucas rolled his eyes. Brooke didn't need to be reminding him what time of year it was. He had loved Christmas. Lucas still remembered that when he was a little boy his mother and Keith tried to keep him believing in Santa by dressing Keith up as him. It hadn't worked, because Keith had dropped his hat to reveal darker hair and Lucas had been so upset he didn't want to celebrate Christmas.
But then Haley had told him a story of hearing reindeer on her roof and he had believed her. They were six when that had happened. And little by little every year after that, Lucas love for Christmas had disappeared. Brooke had tried her hardest to get him into the spirit, but nothing had worked. They had gone ice-skating, hung the Christmas lights at the café, and shopped for presents.
He had to hand it to her though, if anyone was able to bring him out of his grinch mood, it was her. "Okay Scrooge. It's about time I get you home," Brooke said as she handed him the last of her bags. He grinned from ear to ear as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the mall exit.
"Watch where you're going," a stranger pushed past Brooke.
Lucas turned around angrily and yelled to him. "Merry Christmas to you too."
Brooke giggled and smiled up at him. "That's the spirit Luke."
Lucas shrugged his shoulders and continued walking towards the car. He saw the salvation army Santa Claus standing in the cold and shoved several dollars into the tin. The man said merry Christmas, to which Lucas nodded his head. Brooke watched him with the older man and then laughed. "I guess I can't call you scrooge after all."
……
"Uh- hi mom."
Peyton wrapped her arms tightly around her body and held onto her coat. She stared at the grave and smiled slightly. Peyton let her hands fall to her side and she traced her mothers name gently. "I miss you," she whispered.
"The last time I was here, everything was really different," she said. Peyton bent down so she was kneeling on the cold ground. She wanted to be as close to her mother as was possible as she talked to her. "Things are better now. Jake's home and so is Jenny."
She shut her eyes and for a moment she envisioned her mother standing beside her smiling happily. She looked beautiful, with golden blonde hair just like her own. Her mother would wrap her arms around her and give her a loving hug. They'd talk for hours about Jake and how happy he was making her.
But as a winters breeze swept past her, she was brought back to reality. Her mother wasn't there and she was standing in a cemetery. She felt like crying but the tears wouldn't fall. "He misses you too. Sometimes I think working is just his escape from dealing with the pain."
Truth was, she missed her father too. Things had gotten better for a while, until he had been offered a job he couldn't turn down. And he had left.
"I just wanted you to know I love you," Peyton said.
Peyton heard footprints, but didn't turn around. "I told you I could do this alone Jake." She turned around and saw the man standing behind her. He smiled faintly, and then held out his arms. Peyton hugged him and let her tears fall freely.
"I love you too dad."
……
"Candles. Check."
"Flowers. Check."
"Dinner. Check."
"Music. Check."
Nathan looked around the room and smiled in satisfaction. He had never been that much of a romantic, occasional presents for Peyton on days he wasn't aloud to skip and of course marrying Haley. But Brooke had told him he needed to do something special for Haley and had even agreed to help. She had given him all the ingredients he would need for a romantic dinner and all he needed to do was pull it together. There was a knock on the door and Nathan answered it with a smile.
"Hey Haley," he said ushering her inside and taking off her jacket. "You're right on time."
She held her breath for a minute and then turned to look at Nathan.
"You did this?" Haley asked incredulously. She looked around the apartment and smiled as she saw the candles and the flowers. Running her fingers through the flower petals spread on the table, she turned to look at him. "This is amazing."
Nathan nodded his head in agreement. "I'm glad you like it. There's more," he said as he walked towards the table and lifted the top of the pan to reveal macaroni and cheese. Haley grinned.
"You, Mr. Scott are amazing."
He smiled. "Yes, and so are you."
"So…you wanna eat first or…" Nathan asked with a grin.
Haley wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his face down to meet hers. She kissed him gently and then smiled. "Or…" she whispered. "You could dance with me."
"That could be arranged," he said as the CD player played a familiar song. They swayed to the music together, each thinking of the past year. The two had gone through so much pain to be brought back together and they both made silent promises to never let it happen again.
Even as the song came to an end, Haley stayed in Nathan's arms. "I don't deserve this," she said quietly. Tears entered her eyes and she looked up at him sadly. "After what I did…I don't deserve this."
Nathan was about to talk when the front door opened and Taylor popper her head inside. "Hey sister. Brother in law," she said with a grin. Haley turned to face Nathan and then back to her sister. "Merry Christmas."
"Taylor- what the hell are you doing here?" Haley asked.
Nathan was about to say something, when Taylor cut him off. She dropped her bags on the ground and then hugged her sister. "It's Christmas. And mom and dad told me you were back, I figured you'd want family around you. I guess you have some," she said with a smirk as she turned towards Nathan.
"I'm glad for you two," she paused a minute before bringing Nathan into a hug. "I was too much for you anyways," she whispered into his ear. Nathan pulled away from her and turned towards Haley. Maybe he was the one that didn't deserve her.
……
"Merry Christmas to all that my dwell here, Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you. Merry Christmas, with love."
Brooke hummed along to her Christmas CD as she continued wrapping the presents on her bed. So far she had managed to wrap the few toys she had bought Jenny, the new skirt and matching top she had bought Haley, and a new jacket for Peyton. On the floor beside her sat presents for Jake, Nathan and Karen already wrapped. Brooke turned to the unwrapped presents and picked up the present she had picked out for Lucas.
It was a first edition of the book he had given to her when they first started to date. She couldn't help but notice how worn in the book had become and she knew that after the last year it had a sort of sentimental value to the both of them. Brooke had also picked out several other little things for him, all wrapped beside her. Inside the book, she placed a picture of the two of them and began to wrap it. She heard a knock on the door and Lucas popped his head in.
"Hey Brooke. Mom's made hot chocolate," Lucas said as Brooke shoved the present to the floor. He grinned and walked towards the bed, reaching over to grab the present. She stood up and pushed him away.
Brooke crossed her arms and stared at him. "No way mister. I can't peak, you can't peak," she said. "Now out. I'll be out in a minute," Brooke finished. She shut the door and walked back over to her bed. There was one more present left, one she had been dreading.
Brooke traced her fingers across the initials on the briefcase. She sighed, and shut her eyes for a moment, scared to let the tears fall. It was easier when people were around. She didn't feel the sadness as much. And then Lucas had been there for her, giving her the support she had needed.
SRA.
She took one last look at the initials and wrapped it in the silver wrapping paper. Brooke wrote a quick note on the tag and then placed the present with the others. Lucas knocked on the door again and Brooke walked towards it, laughing. "You never give up do you?"
"Hot chocolate," he said, handing her the mug. She took it from him and smiled gently. "Are you done, cause mom and Andy want to talk to us."
Brooke nodded sadly before turning to him in a panic. "Do you think they're kicking me out? Of course they are! There's a baby on the way," Brooke panicked. Over the last few weeks thoughts of being homeless once more were looming on her mind. Lucas wrapped his left arm around her.
"I'm sure they're not going to kick you out," Lucas offered her. Brooke raised an eye brow and sighed.
Brooke groaned. "I'm going to be homeless."
……
Lucas and Brooke sat down on the couch opposite of Karen and Andy who were both smiling nervously. Brooke sipped on her hot chocolate and Lucas reached for her hand. He squeezed it gently and then turned to his mother. "So mom, what's going on?"
Karen turned towards Andy and took a deep breath. "We've been avoiding something for a really long time now," she started. Brooke shot a dirty look at Lucas and then waited for Karen to continue. "And this house is getting awfully small. When I agreed to let Brooke move in, you were living with your father and quite honestly…I wasn't excepting to get pregnant," Karen said.
Brooke stood up and walked across the room. "I understand Karen. I'll get my things and I'll be out of here by tonight," she said.
Karen looked up at her and smiled. "No. I'm not kicking you out Brooke."
"You're not?" Brooke and Lucas asked at the same time.
Karen took Andy's hand in his and turned towards the two teenagers. "We're moving. I was going to wait to tell you after Christmas Lucas, but I figured now was as good a time as any," Karen said.
"All of us?" Brooke asked quietly.
Karen brought her into a hug and smiled warmly. "All of us."
……
"Merry Christmas Eve," Peyton said as she walked through the café doors. Haley brought her into a hug and then hugged Jake. The café was beautifully decorated, with Christmas lights and green garland placed strategically around. As Peyton glanced around she could tell that Brooke had helped everyone decorate.
Peyton smiled at Lucas. "Merry Christmas," she said. They hugged briefly and then Lucas shook Jake's hand. Lucas turned towards her and raised an eyebrow.
"What has you so happy?"
Peyton turned to Jake with a grin, causing Jake to laugh. "Her dad's home."
"That's great Peyton," Lucas said as he turned towards the door. Peyton looked up to see what he was looking at and saw her best friend standing in the doorway. She had her hands full with Christmas bags and she was smiling from ear to ear.
"A little help here Luke," Brooke said.
Lucas walked towards her and took the bags in his hands. He leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek and then smiled genuinely. "Merry Christmas, again." Brooke was about to say something but was interrupted by her friends giggles. She turned to face them and asked them what was wrong. The friends said nothing, but pointed towards the mistletoe hanging in the doorway. Brooke blushed.
"It is tradition," Nathan reminded them.
Brooke shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head to the side. "Tradition says you're supposed to kiss me," she said. Lucas nodded his head and leaned in close to her. He closed the space between them and their lips met in an emotional kiss. Memories flooded back to them of happier times, when they were together. When they broke apart Brooke smiled sheepishly up at him. "Wow," she whispered. He nodded his head and then turned around to face his friends.
Jake patted his back. "You up to playing some basketball? The guys are at the court."
Haley smiled at the three guys and ushered them away. "Go ahead! Dinner should be ready in like an hour. It'll give us girls some time to chat," Haley said. Nathan kissed her gently on her forehead and left with the other two guys. When they were out of sight, Haley turned to face Brooke. "Well…"
Brooke sighed. "Well what?" She asked as she turned towards Peyton. "What size is Jenny?" Brooke questioned as she fingered the back of Jenny's dress as a way to change the subject. Peyton rolled her eyes and Haley groaned.
"How did it feel Brooke?"
Brooke could tell by the looks on her friends face that they weren't going to let it go. She leaned against the counter and sighed dramatically. "It felt like a kiss," Brooke shrugged her shoulders. She watched as her friends looked at each other in annoyance and smiled slightly. "It was just a kiss. A friendship kiss. So don't get any ideas," Brooke finished.
Peyton raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should be telling Lucas that."
"Definitely. Because the look on his face was definitely not a friendly look," Haley agreed.
Brooke stood up and walked over towards the tree, placing her presents under them. "Look. Nothing is going on between Lucas and I. We're just…" She paused. There wasn't really a word for what Lucas and her were. Granted they were friends, but their relationship meant so much more than that.
"Friends?" Peyton asked.
Brooke shook her head yes and then sighed. "I guess so."
"Brooke we love you. But you need to open your eyes," Haley said. She turned towards where the mistletoe hung in the doorway and then back towards Brooke. "He loves you Brooke. And if you don't love him…If your heart really is with Sean- then let him go. Tell him to move on. Because leading him on is not fair."
Brooke's smile fell. "I am NOT leading him on. Like you said. We're friends." But the look on her face said otherwise. As the guys entered the café, Brooke turned towards Haley. Maybe she was right.
Lucas wrapped an arm around Brooke and smiled down at her. "What'd I miss?" Lucas asked as Brooke shook her head as a reply. He raised an eyebrow but still she said nothing. As she stared at him, she realized that perhaps Haley was right.
"Lucas…" Brooke asked, as she took his hand. "I need to talk to you."
TBC...
Up next on Back to You
Chapter 20- "Merry Christmas, With Love"
- a Brucas christmas :-)
- Christmas day for Nathan/Haley, Peyton/Jake
- a rush to the hospitial
- Sean returns
Authors Notes: As always, I love your reviews. Good or Bad, please send them!
KarahBella: thanks for your review, I am glad you enjoyed the last chapter and hopefully you enjoy this one as well.
BrucasNaleyLuvr: hopefully this chapter made you happy! Lots of Brucas interaction!
Brucas4Ever: thanks for the review. H
KaraokeDiva419: I'm so glad you still were able to read the last chapter and enjoyed it. Hopefully you'll still find the time for it. :-) I agree with you I dont think Brooke was really thrilled about being at a bowling alley, she just doesnt seem like the type of person who would be up for it. But I wanted her to do something fun with him to show that they are bonding. Brooke and Peyton will still have an akward scene coming up when its not rushed and they have a little bit of time to talk. that should be like in the next three chapters or so. And you'll see in this chapter, Brooke really does miss Sean. As far as who tried to kill Dan...well you'll have to wait and read :-) I have a few twists and turns that I am doing so it'll be interesting. And as far as not commenting on that part, I understand because it is my least favorite part to write. Hope unpacking isn't too difficult and that you'll still review my stories once and a while
L-A-C-18: I agree, the longer the review the better ;-) it lets you know where the readers head is and you can get more positive results. I'm glad you were happy I updated (and yeah, I was happy Ali did as well!) Hmm...as far as Lucas is concerned I wanted him to be there for Brooke regardless of her relationship and feelings with Sean. He screwed up and now he just has to deal with it. And yeah, most guys wouldn't. But most guys aren't Lucas (I only wish they were as cute!) And yeah, I think he learned how to treat women and how to respect people. Kieth wanted to be there for his family and sacrafice himself so that no one he cared about could be arrested. Only it didn't work because I couldn't let Keith stay in jail now could I:-) The bowling scene was strictly to show that Brooke and Lucas are spending time together and working on coming back together. I'm glad you liked the Broody and Cheery scene as well, I think that was totally cute when they did it on the show and I would love to see them do it in season three as well. Dan's a mystery. Just hopefully its one that I will let be uncovered. For some reason I am not remembering Because of you and I know after I finish typing this I am going to get my cd and listen to it so I can hear it. So yeah, I think it will probably remind me of Brooke and Lucas which will mean I will have a new favorite song. Yes, Sean will be back. But for how long? And what happens? Hmm...wait and see :-) As always you are so nice to leave me such a great review. I love it
OTHRetard: I am glad everyone is digging the Brucas moments. They have always been so much fun to write. And yeah, I did want to update. So here it is and hopefully you'll like it. Sean will be back but I dont want to spoil it by telling you when and why. So, did you enjoy the kiss under the mistle toe? I hope so!
CutieRay: It's okay. I am glad that you're still reading it :-) Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter
DanceDude09: I'm glad the thanksgiving part reminded you of your family. That's what I was going for. Family and friends coming together so that they could all have a semi happy meal without anyone ruining it. Dan included. Hope you enjoyed this next chapter :-)
Kelz3192: This is chapter 19, so there are 11 more left. And four more chapters are already written :-) I just have to send them to you. Okay so you were right! It was a Brucas kiss! yay
:-D And yeah, Brooke deffinitly would have done a victory dance.
MyStyleIsMyOwn: I'm glad that you've found my story and are enjoying it. Here's the latest chapter :-)
CrazyAznChik: Well, here's more good Brucas moments in this chapter. I'm glad its something nice to do instead of homework...I guess when Sean comes back that'll change. LoL, but this a Sean free chapter :-)
Brucas1fanfromqc: I am so glad you're enjoying this story! Thanks for taking the time to review. And yeah, I was going to have it be a bratan kiss, but I decided to let you all have your Brucas moment. Hope you liked it :-) I was thinking about doing a sequal to it, like with them in college or something but I am not sure about it. I dont know I guess I will see as the story continues and the reviews.
