Title: Never Gone Author: D. Sollers

Summary: FIRST THREE CHAPTERS REWRITTEN- AU. Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott were high school sweethearts with their whole future ahead of them. The news of a baby drives the couple apart and years later they must come to terms with the present, the past and the future. Couple: It's BL in flashbacks, BL in the future but BN in the present. Hopefully you'll be able to follow (slight Naley implications and Jeyton as well)
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with One Tree Hill except for a few overly played DVDs and a poster of Chad Michael Murray, who at the present time I would like to throw darts at. So…another words don't sue me J

Author's Notes: A special thanks to Amanda, the person responsible for my update today. Otherwise, I am have forgotten :-) Hopefully you all are enjoying the story still and I promise there will be plenty of Brucas moments ahead in the coming chapters

CHAPTER EIGHT-

All I Never Wanted

It was Tuesday morning and Lucas had decided that he was going to have lunch with his mother and then he would head over to Brooke's house to talk to her. Peyton had told him that Tuesday's were her days off from the office and that she would be home alone since Isabella would be in school. The thought of heading over to Brooke's was making him incredibly nervous.

"Good morning," he said as he sat at the kitchen table in front of his mother. She was talking on her cell phone and she quickly nodded before returning her attention to the other end of the call.

"So today's the day huh?"

Lucas simply nodded his head as he dug into the chicken salad sandwich in front of him. He savored each bite of it, relishing in the fact that he was once again experiencing his mothers cooking. "Yep. By the end of the day I will either be castrated or murdered."

Karen couldn't help but laugh. Lucas looked really nervous to see Brooke and a part of her didn't blame him. Brooke Davis was a fireball, something that they had all seen grow full force over the years. But she knew deep down more than anything Brooke would be scared. Scared that her and her daughter would somehow be left again.

"Just be honest with her," Karen offered. Lucas nodded his head, knowing he had planned on doing the very thing. The truth was something that Lucas knew Brooke wouldn't like. It wasn't going to be easy telling her that he had been a coward all those years ago. But still he had to do it.

Karen watched her son drift into thoughts as she remembered the first time she had met Brooke. It was a few months after Lucas's sophomore year of high school started. It hadn't gone exactly as Brooke had planned mostly because Karen had found out about Lucas's tattoo he had gotten.

/flashback begins/

"What the hell is that?"

Lucas looked back and forth between his mother and Brooke and then back down at his shoulder blade. He smiled. "It's a Chinese symbol for fun," he said proudly. His mother shook her head. She started laughing.

"You're kidding right? It's a rub on tattoo? Am I on candid camera or something?"

Lucas shook his head and Brooke stepped in front of him. "Karen…" She was about to say something but Karen hastily cut her off.

"No. The name is Miss Roe."

Brooke looked back and forth between Lucas and Karen and then fumbled for the right words. "But you just said that I could…"

"That was before I found out that you coerced my 16 year old son into getting a Chinese symbol that he will be branded with for life."

Brooke nodded her head sadly. "Miss Roe, I am sorry," Brooke apologized. "My parents are hardly ever around and I guess it's just hard to remember that some parents really do care."

For a moment Karen's anger lessened as she looked at the couple in front of her. Lucas had put his arm around Brooke's shoulder, offering as much comfort as he could in a situation he didn't know anything about. As she watched the two teenagers, who seemed worlds apart she couldn't help but notice the mutual look hidden in two very different pairs of eyes. The look of loneliness and abandonment that neither of them had ever deserved.

"Lucas you're grounded for a month," Karen said as she walked towards the bedroom door.

A month didn't seem so bad to Lucas as he looked down at his tattoo. His mother could have punished him a lot worse and probably should have. "Okay mom." He wasn't sure what else he could say.

"And Brooke," Karen said as she turned to look back at the couple. Brooke looked up at the older woman and smiled sadly. "We have family night every Thursday. Lucas's uncle Keith comes over and even Haley. We'd love to have you come as well." Brooke's smile grew into a grin and she jumped towards his mother.

She pulled Karen into a hug and squeezed. "Thank you Karen."

"You're welcome Brooke."

/flashback ends/

……

"Morning beautiful," Nathan said as he walked up behind Brooke and kissed her gently on the base of her neck. Brooke smiled and turned to face him. She held out her arms and brought him into a quick hug before placing a light kiss on his lips.

"Morning yourself," Brooke giggled.

Nathan pulled flowers from behind his back and Brooke gasped. There was a dozen yellow roses and Brooke ran her fingers over the petals. "They're beautiful Nate," she said. "But what is this all for?"

"I've decided that I couldn't wait till next weekend and I am taking you away overnight," Nathan said. "Don't worry I have already cleared it with Peyton and Jake and they agreed to watch Isabella. Princess will have a good time with Jenny and you and I will be tucked away in a bed and breakfast."

Brooke put the flowers on the bathroom sink and turned around sadly at him. "I can't. Tonight's girls night and after everything that's going on with Haley I don't feel right leaving," Brooke explained.

"Already taken care of. Peyton and Haley are going to a concert," Nathan held up two tickets proudly. Brooke looked at tickets for an 80s cover band and smiled.

"Then I guess we're going," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Nathan nodded his head enthusiastically and made his way back into their bedroom to pack. Brooke watched through the bathroom mirror as he made his way around the room packing the things they would need and Brooke sighed to herself. Nathan really did love her, so why was that not enough?

……

Haley stared down at her outfit and cursed. "What the hell am I supposed to wear?" She asked herself. Her closet was full of clothes, ranging from the overly priced dresses she had worn to various events right down to her favorite pair of seven jeans and tee shirt that she had since high school. Finally, she changed into a red halter top that Brooke had bought her and black pants. As she grabbed a pair of boots the doorbell rang and she made her way to the door.

"Peyton, I thought we said we'd meet at four this afternoon?" She said as she opened the door. Her mouth fell open as she stared at Lucas. "Lucas?" She questioned as she held the door open. He wasn't expecting Haley but as she reached her arms out to pull him into a hug he couldn't believe how much he missed the girl standing in front of him.

Haley had been his best friend since childhood and as he held her he couldn't help but notice how much she had changed. "Hales," he pulled away from her and she folded her arms across her chest. "How have you been?" He smiled half heartedly.

"I've been better," she said anger leaking through. Lucas stepped towards her in hopes of another hug but this time she backed away from him. "What the hell are you doing here Lucas? Does Brooke know you're in town?"

Lucas leaned against the porch and shook his head no. "I was coming to see her now. Funny, her and Nathan are the only two I haven't accidentally run into." Haley raised an eyebrow.

"You've seen Jake? And Peyton?"

Lucas nodded his head and he looked back at her. "I wanted to see you Hales. I didn't mean to run into either of them but it happened. I wanted Brooke to be the first person I saw so that she could hear it from me that I was back for good."

"For good?" Haley asked.

"I hadn't planned on staying, to be honest I really didn't think Brooke was going to let me see Isabella anyways," Lucas explained. "But when I got here and I saw my daughter…something changed inside of me. I realized what I've missed- what I walked away from. I don't want to give either of them up again."

For the second time in ten minutes, Haley looked confused. "Them?"

"I'm here to get my life back, Brooke back."

Haley nodded her head, but kept her mouth quiet. It wasn't her place to say anything to Lucas about Brooke and Nathan. She wasn't sure if he knew anything but even if he did it was something Haley had never felt comfortable discussing. She brought Lucas into another hug and smiled up at him. "I guess I should say welcome home," Haley said as she took a seat on the step.

Lucas nodded his head and sat down on the porch step beside her. "What's going on with you Hales?" She looked over at him and leaned into him as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder. Haley shut her eyes for a moment and sighed. As she opened them she pretended that the years that had strained their friendship wasn't there and they had returned to a time where nothing could tear them apart.

"Did you ever just want to return to normal?"

Lucas chuckled to himself. "Back when it was just you and me?"

Haley nodded her head and then shrugged her shoulders. "The others weren't so bad either."

"No, I guess they weren't."

……

/flashback begins/

"You're kidding right?" A 17 year old Brooke Davis said as she entered detention. As she looked into the room, she noticed that five of her closest friends were sitting in various corners of the room. "This isn't detention. This is a party."

Lucas was reading a book when his girlfriend entered the room. He looked up at her and smiled gently but his smile faded as she rolled her eyes at him. They had just had their first fight and she still wouldn't let him live it down.

As Brooke sat down at the desk beside Haley, she looked over the girls shoulder. Haley was correcting homework papers from her various tutors and had even drawn a smiley face on the ones that had passed. "Hey Hales, you want to go to the mall after school? There's a sale," Brooke said. Haley turned towards her and lifted her finger to her mouth. She then bent back over to finish correcting her work.

Jake was in the seat in front of her, tapping the desk as if he was drumming. He shut his eyes and moved his head from side to side to his own beat and Brooke couldn't help but laugh. There was something about that Jake Jagelski that was enough to make any girl smile and her best friend was no exception.

Brooke leaned back into her seat in defeat and noticed Nathan in the corner of her eye. She turned to see him, trying his best to pretend to be working. His I POD was on and Brooke could make out the faint music of Tupac. Something she had never really taken the time to appreciate and something she had no interest in.

She shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Peyton who seemed to be drawing intently. As she watched her best friend, she couldn't help but wonder what had drawn them all together. Here they were, all from different social statuses, all with their own problems but somehow they had managed to form a closeness that no one would be able to break.

Lucas threw a note at her and Brooke caught it within her hands. She looked over at him and smirked. Brooke thought for a moment before opening the paper to reveal the words 'I love you' and she couldn't help but smile. As she turned to look at him, she mouthed an I love you to him as well.

/flashback ends/

……

"What were you thinking about?" Nathan asked, as he pulled the car to a stop. Brooke looked over at him and smiled warmly. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Us."

Nathan looked at her skeptically and Brooke started to laugh. "Okay, okay! I was thinking about all of us. You, Haley, Peyton, Jake, me…" Brooke trailed off as Nathan turned off the engine.

"Lucas," he said in defeat.

Brooke looked at him sadly as she reached to touch his shoulder. He pulled away and looked at her. "I get it Brooke, I really do. Lucas is the one for you. He was your first love, your daughters father…"

"Lucas isn't here anymore," Brooke said. "I have to stop living in the past. This is my future. My future is with Isabella." She smiled and shook her head, determined to put her past behind her. "And you."

Nathan pulled the key from the ignition and turned back to her. "Look, lets just forget about this. We're here and this is going to be a good thing for us. Let us clear the air about some things," he explained. She nodded her head, unsure as to what they needed to clear the air about but opened her car door.

"Nathan I know it's not fair for me to still think of Lucas," Brooke said. Nathan tried to stop her from saying anything more but Brooke shook her head. "No, I want you to hear this. You're right about Lucas. He meant everything to me and there will always be feelings left over for him. But you've been here for my daughter and me since the beginning when you didn't have to be. And I have loved you everyday since then and I can't picture myself not loving you."

As Nathan listened to what Brooke said, he understood fully how she felt. Her heart, as his belonged to someone else. But they had been there foreach otherthe last ten years and had somehow managed to develop a relationship no one would ever understand. As they exited the car and headed towards the Bed and Breakfast, Nathan realized that was enough for Brooke. And it was enough for him as well.

……

Isabella looked at Jake in frustration. "Do I have to?" She asked as he nodded his head yes and laughed as Isabella put her hands on her hips. For a split second, the girls dark brown hair fell across her face and Jake was taken back to a different time where another ten year old was standing in front of him.

/flashback begins/

"TAKE IT BACK!" Brooke screamed.

Jake stepped in between Nathan and Brooke and held his hand in an effort to keep the girl away. "Brooke calm down he didn't mean it," Jake said as Brooke straightened herself up and put her hands on her hips.

"TAKE IT BACK." Brooke demanded once again.

Nathan laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "You think you can make me?"

Brooke lunged toward the two boys and pushed Jake out of her way. With all the anger and fury a ten year old could muster, she knocked Nathan down to the ground. When she was standing above him she looked down and smirked. "Are you going to take it back or do I have to tell the whole school that I beat your ass."

In the distance she heard Haley and Lucas both gasp in surprise as Brooke's temper flared. The two had never really been around anyone who cussed but Brooke Davis didn't care.

"I take it back," Nathan said as he sat up. He dusted his jeans off and stood staring at her. "Peyton doesn't look like a boy." He stuck out his tongue at Brooke and she rolled her eyes.

Peyton wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulders and she smiled at her best friend. "Thanks," she whispered to Brooke as Brooke looked at Nathan. She smiled back at her friend and pulled one of her friends short curls.

"Anytime goldilocks."

Brooke turned her attention to Jake and put her hands across her chest. "I'm sorry about that. It's just Nathan is such a jerk and Peyton's my best friend," Brooke tried to explain. Jake nodded his head, now fully understanding just how protective the young girl was.

"I understand," an eleven year old Jake said. Brooke shook her head and grabbed her best friends hand. Jake watched as the two girls walked towards the school yard and held his breath as Peyton turned around to look at him. She smiled briefly but her smile faded when Nikki pulled on his arm.

"You ready for class?" Nikki asked.

/flashback ends/

"JAKE! Are you even listening to me?" Isabella said as she sat down on the couch.

Jake nodded his head and fell back onto the recliner. "I know you're not use to being up in front of everyone but Izzy, it's a talent show. And it's mandatory. I am sure Jenny and you will come up with something."

"I guess…" Isabella sighed. She had known there was no way around it but still wasn't sure what to do. Isabella loved to dance and to sing but she wasn't sure if she was good enough to have the whole school watching her.

Isabella jumped up excitedly and clapped her hands. "I could do a skit! We all know I am a born actress," Isabella said as she grinned from ear to ear. Jake chuckled at the little girl and nodded his head. "Will you help me Jake?" Jake nodded his head as the doorbell rung. Isabella turned to look at it and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll get it," she said as she raced to the door. Jake followed quickly behind her and stopped dead in his tracks as he heard Isabella call out to someone in confusion.

"Dad?"

TBC...
Well? questions, commments! I love to get you alls responses. Let me know what you think :-)