Disclaimer: I own nothing. Don't sue
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Crawling back Tonight
by: D. Sollers
"So you found the ring and you just bailed on him?" Brooke asked as she laid down on the bed beside Peyton. In the corner of the room, Haley glanced up to see her friends answer but Peyton just nodded her head. She buried her head into her pillow and screamed.
"Why did this happen? We were doing so well!"
Brooke put an arm around her friend and squeezed her gently. "It's okay to be scared Peyton. But Jake's a good guy and you love him." Peyton nodded her head in agreement knowing that what Brooke said was true. She turned towards Haley and waited for Haley's opinion.
"Marriage is a big step Peyton. But if Jake thinks the two of you are ready then at least think about it?"
Peyton looked down at the ground and then back towards her friends. "But it's not like her purposed to me or anything, he doesn't even know I found the ring!" Brooke and Haley turned towards each other and sighed.
"Why don't you just tell him then?" Brooke questioned.
"Because if I tell him, then what if he does ask me? Am I ready for that? I wouldn't say no to him."
Peyton hadn't realized what she had said until she heard the giggle escape Brooke's mouth. Both of her two friends jumped up and brought Peyton into a hug. "Oh my God, you're going to get engaged!" Brooke said, clapping her hands together. She turned towards Haley and her smile fell.
"That means I will be the only single one here. You guys will be in your own club. A married club."
She sulked as she laid back down on the bed, bringing the pillow to cover her face. Brooke cried dramatically into it and Haley lifted it off of her. "Umm Brooke, Peyton and I have something to tell you."
Brooke sat up hesitantly and looked at her two friends guilty expressions. She could tell by their faces that whatever they were about to tell her, she wasn't going to like. "Okay. What is it? Spill. Is Haley pregnant? Are you pregnant?" she said, turning towards Peyton.
Peyton tossed her pillow at Brooke and groaned. "How come every time we have something to tell you, you always think one of us is pregnant?" She asked as the three girls all laughed.
"Well, if neither of you are- what's up?"
Haley turned towards Peyton, who threw her hands up in the air. She knew that her blonde friend wasn't going to say anything. Haley held her breath for a moment before turning back towards Brooke. "Okay. So, you know how you revealed to us that you were still in love with Lucas?"
Brooke rolled her eyes and nodded her head.
"Well, see-now Peyton needs to reveal something else to you."
Peyton shot Haley a dirty look and then looked over at Brooke. "Okay. Since Haley is too chicken to explain this to you, I guess I have to. We know you love Lucas and we know he loves you. And the two of you are just running in circles and we're all getting sick of it. So, we took things in our hands."
"Okay…" Brooke said, looking from Haley to Peyton. "What the hell does that mean?"
"I gave your letters to Lucas!" Haley blurted out. She stood up and walked towards the door. "I am so sorry but someone had to do it!"
Brooke's mouth fell open as she turned from Haley to Peyton. "You did what? Are you crazy?" She said, standing up and walking towards Haley.
Haley backed up away from Brooke and called out for Peyton. "A little help here?"
"He needs to know Brooke," Peyton offered.
Brooke fell down on the bed again and put her head in her hands. "Oh my God, what the hell am I going to do now?"
……
"Nathan, your dad and I need to talk to you."
He knew that showing up at his parents home was never a good idea and his latest visit had been no exception. After only ten minutes being in his old home, he was wishing to be anywhere else. The older couple entered his bedroom and both took a seat on his bed. He watched as they exchanged looks back and forth and Nathan rolled his eyes. "Well whatever you need to say, can you make it fast? I have to meet Haley at the tutoring center."
"Your uncle Keith is innocent," Deb told him simply.
Nathan laughed. "Tell me something I didn't know already."
"Your mom set the fire," Dan said with a shrug of his shoulders. He laughed at the truthfulness of his statement and watched his sons face.
"She what?" He questioned. "Mom?"
Deb bowed her head and looked at her feet. She wasn't sure she could ever find the words to explain to him why she had done it. If it had been up to her, the secret never would have been revealed to anyone. But Dan had kept pushing and sooner or later realized everything. "It's true," she whispered.
"I can't believe you! You let Keith go to jail for something you did," Nathan said. His mother tried to give him a hug but he pulled away from her. "Don't touch me. I knew dad was evil but how could you try to take someone's life?"
He didn't wait for his mother to answer, he turned towards his dad and shook his head. "Why are you just sitting there? You're not going to turn her in?"
"She's your mother Nate," he said simply. "And as much as I would love to put her away, I just want this nightmare to end. That's why…" He took a pause and looked at his estranged wife. "I'm giving her the divorce."
Nathan looked at his parents and threw his hands up in the air. "I don't get you two. And I definitely don't want to. Just stay away from me. And Haley!" He yelled as he walked out of his bedroom and out of his old house.
Nathan grabbed his cell phone and punched in Haley's numbers. "Haley, I need to see you."
……
Brooke knocked gently on Sean's apartment door and waited for him to answer. After a few minutes, the door opened and Sean smiled down at her. "Hey," he said as he allowed her to come into his apartment.
"Hi," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tightly and shut her eyes. When she had left Peyton's house, she had thought about driving home but had headed off towards Sean's apartment instead. Somehow, facing Lucas was something she wasn't sure she could do. He knew how she felt and there would be no turning back.
He pulled away from her, and cupped her face. "Are you okay?" He asked. Brooke smiled sadly at his concern as she tried her best to fight back the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She remembered the last time Lucas and her had been left alone together and the kiss that they had shared. Brooke pulled away from Sean, feeling very ashamed of herself. She knew that what she had done was wrong, but she needed Lucas. Brooke wondered if that was how he had felt with Peyton, the year before. As memories came into her mind of her friends betrayal, the tears escaped that she had been trying so hard not to cry.
"Brooke, whatever it is it's okay. Just talk to me." Sean pulled her towards the couch and sat her down, never once letting go of her hands.
Brooke felt guilty for his sympathy and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry Sean," she whispered. The words were forming in her mind and before she had a chance to take them back, she blurted them out. "We can't be together anymore."
"Why?" He questioned.
Brooke had a million reasons why they couldn't be together. "I don't deserve you," she said simply. She rubbed underneath her eyes and looked back at him. "You deserve better than what I can give you."
"Brooke- that's stupid."
She nodded her head in agreement. It was stupid and she had heard Lucas say just about the same thing to her before. When he had told her, she felt as if it had been stupid and a lie as well. Was it any different now? It sounded just as dumb coming from her as it had from him. "I'm in love with him."
The words slipped out and she smiled slightly. It had been only the second time that she had actually said it out loud to someone and it felt surprisingly good. A weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and her heart felt better.
"With Lucas."
She nodded her head and watched as he stood up and walked towards the door. He was angry and she knew he had every right to be. Sean had asked her several times if she had feelings for Lucas and each time Brooke had denied them. And now, months after being together she was revealing that her feelings were for Lucas.
"Get out."
Brooke wanted to explain more to him but knew that he didn't want to hear it. As she stood, she said she was sorry. "I didn't mean for this to happen. It's just I can't lie to myself anymore."
"I said get out," he repeated again.
Brooke nodded her head and made her way towards him. She kissed him gently on the cheek and was hurt by him pulling away. "We're not together, I just want you to know that. I'm sorry." She didn't wait for him to say anything else as she pulled the door shut and heard it close behind her
"Nathan, what's wrong?" Haley said as she opened the car door and got in the passenger seat. She gave him a small kiss on the lips and waited for him to answer.
"My mom was the one who started the fire," he chuckled.
Haley held her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God, you're kidding?"
She knew before he said anything that he wasn't lying and she brought her arms around him. "I am so sorry," she whispered. He nodded his head as he buried it into her neck.
"I just needed you."
Haley smiled. "I know the feeling. I can't imagine not being with you."
"Hales- I'm sorry about everything we've been through this year. I just don't know where I'd be without you."
Haley pulled away and sat back in her seat. She waited a moment and then turned back to him. "Nathan, why didn't you tell me about UCLA?" She asked quietly. He looked at her, confused on how she knew about that.
"I knew that I would never be able to go through with it," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I knew that you'd be going to school on the east coast and that I couldn't stay that far away from you."
Haley grinned. Her worst fears had been wrong and Nathan had no intention on going anywhere, without her. She bit her lip and felt tears enter her eyes. "If you want to go to UCLA, we'll go to California."
"What are you talking about?"
She looked down at her wedding band and ran her fingers across it. "Always and forever Nathan. When I said those words I meant them. We're together for the long run now."
"Yeah," he said as he pulled her to him. Nathan kissed her passionately and as they pulled apart, he whispered into her ear. "Always."
……
"Brooke," Lucas said as he opened her cottage door. He had been thinking about it for a while and he needed to talk to her. "Are you here?" He called out to her.
Brooke walked into the front room and smiled sadly at him. "Hey Lucas, what's up?" She said. Baby ran across her feet and she laughed as she picked her up. "Did you miss me baby?" Brooke kissed the black cat and then sat down on the couch. Lucas walked towards her and sat down on her coffee table so that they were facing.
"I want to talk to you about something."
Brooke nodded her head. "Me too and I want to go first. I know you have the letters and I just want you to know that what I said in them… well it's all true."
"Brooke…" Lucas stuttered.
Brooke cut him off and smiled again. "It's okay Lucas, I'm not embarrassed. Last summer I wrote those letters to you because I needed to get my feelings out. There were some that were really angry and I am sorry for that, it's just… what you did with Peyton really hurt me."
"Brooke…"
"Lucas, the truth is I never sent them because I was afraid of getting my heart broken again," she paused for a moment. "I'm not going to say that I am happy that Haley gave them to you but I am glad you know the truth. I do…"
"Damn it Brooke, I didn't read your letters."
Brooke looked up at him and then back down to the ground. "What?" She questioned him. He repeated what he had said and he grabbed a hold of her hands. She pulled away from him and stood up. "Oh well, good. I am glad," she lied.
"I don't want to read them unless you tell me to."
Brooke locked eyes with him and blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I mean… it's up to you. If you want to."
"Why don't you just tell me what was in them?"
She shook her head no and laughed. "There is no way I can say it out loud. That's why I wrote them Lucas."
"What if I went first?"
Brooke smiled mischievously. Maybe she could tell him, after he told her something? She thought for a moment and then shook her head no. "Luke, if you wanted to know what was in the letters you would have read them. Now if you have something to say to me, make it fast." She crossed her arms across her chest and waited. When he stayed quiet, she turned away from him. "Goodnight Lucas."
"Brooke…"
Lucas was at a loss for words. He had confessed to her his feelings before and she rejected him, what was different this time? A part of him just wanted to kiss her and let the kiss speak for him but he knew that wouldn't help anything. He thought about their last kiss and remembered how badly it had ended. She didn't want to hurt Sean. It always came back to him.
"Lucas, just say it."
He opened his mouth but was cut off by his phone ringing. "Hello," he said as he looked at Brooke. "Oh my God, I'll be right there," he said. Lucas headed towards her front door and then turned back towards Brooke. "I'm really sorry Brooke but I have to go. It's mom, she's going to have the baby."
Brooke smiled at the news and walked towards him. "I'll go with you." Whatever the two had to say to each other, it could wait another couple of hours.
TBC.
Well, at long last. Brooke and Sean are no longer together and BL are finally ready to tell each other how they feel! Only two more chapters left, please R&R. Let me know your thoughts
