CHAPTER ELEVEN

What a Difference Ten Years Make

Lucas knocked gently on Brooke's front door and waited. Isabella had told him to come by around ten that night and her mother would be home alone. The car had been in the driveway when he had pulled up and he felt a familiar feeling deep inside of him. The thought of seeing her brought butterflies to his stomach, it had been something he had been dreaming about since he left. But as he stood at the door, the butterflies stopped. Inside he heard Brooke scream and he pushed open the door.

"Brooke, are you okay?" He rushed into the house.

Lucas entered the living room and stopped dead in his tracks at what was in front of him. There, in the center of the room wearing nothing more than a bra and boxers Brooke laid with Nathan on top of her. He had her pinned down and right as he was about to pull Nathan away Brooke looked up at him in confusion.

"Lucas?" Brooke said, as Nathan pulled himself away from her and stood up. Brooke's eyes filled with tears and she looked from Nathan to Lucas. "What are you doing here?"

Lucas held his hand out to Brooke and pulled her up. He turned to his brother and chuckled aloud. "So I leave and you make a move on my girlfriend? Smooth," Lucas said angrily.

"Ex girlfriend," Nathan spit back at him.

Lucas walked towards him and Brooke stepped in front of Nathan. She grabbed her robe and tied it around her, her eyes never leaving Lucas'. "Luke, I know what this looks like…but it's not like that," Brooke said. She gave Nathan an apologetic smile and turned back to Lucas. "Why are you even here?"

"I came to see Isabella," Lucas replied.

Brooke nodded her head and looked down at the floor. "Well, she's at Peyton and Jake's house with Jenny tonight."

"I know. I just left there."

Brooke shook her head again but did a double take. She raised an eyebrow and wrapped her arms across her chest. "You've seen Isabella?" As Lucas nodded his head in confirmation Brooke walked towards him and hit him as hard as she could against his chest. She kept hitting him repeatedly until Lucas finally grabbed her wrists and held her still. He gave Nathan a dirty look but still didn't let Brooke go. "Does everyone know?" Brooke asked.

Again he nodded his head and she just shut her eyes in embarrassment. Her closest friends and her daughter had kept the biggest secret from her? She couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"I'm sorry Brooke."

At his last words, Nathan finally spoke up. He pulled Brooke away from Lucas and wrapped an arm around her. "You know what Luke, you're a little late. Ten years too late. Now if you wouldn't mind, get the hell out of our house." As he looked at his older brother, Nathan realized that their bond was finally broken. After ten years of abandonment, he wanted nothing to do with Lucas.

"Brooke," Lucas pleaded.

Brooke shook her head and looked down at the floor. "Get out Lucas." She wasn't sure if she was angry or hurt, but either way she wanted him as far away from her as possible. As Lucas watched the scene before him, he knew he should have handled it better. But seeing her with his brother had just about killed him. He gave his brother one last look and turned again to Brooke.

"I am sorry Brooke."

He sent her an apologetic look and headed back out the door he had entered just moments before. Once outside, he wondered to himself why his friends had kept such a big secret from him. The image of Brooke and Nathan sprang to his mind as he tried desperately to forget. As he was getting into his mothers car rain began to pour. He leaned against the car door let the rain wash over him, hoping that somehow it would erase the pain.

……

"Did you know?" Brooke said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Nathan raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Yes, because this would be MY idea for a romantic weekend at home," he replied bitterly.

"Funny Nathan! Real funny! Do you think I wanted this? Are you standing there telling me you think I am happy he's home? That he just showed up out of nowhere and ALL my friends knew? And my daughter didn't tell me?" Brooke accused.

Nathan shook his head. "I'm not sure what I think. But I can tell you that you're hurting. Brooke, don't you see it? I love you, I really do. But we can't keep pretending that this is going to work. Your heart isn't in it."

"Is yours?" Brooke replied angrily. "Is it really? When you look at me, do you wish I was Haley?"

Nathan sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. "Don't bring her into this. This has nothing to do with Haley or with me. It's about you and your feelings for Lucas."

"What do you want me to say Nate?" Brooke questioned. The tears that she had been trying not to shed fell freely from her eyes. "Do you want me to tell you that I miss him so much it hurts? That I can't imagine never being with him again? Is that what you want to hear?" she wiped the tears from her eyes and cleared her throat. "Or do you want me to tell you that I love you and it doesn't matter that Lucas is here."

Nathan looked up at the woman in front of him and shook his head. It was the same girl, who ten years ago had stood in her apartment saying goodbye to a memory she would never be able to fully let go of. It was the same girl he had ignored in high school and that his brother had worshipped. The same girl that had held both of their hearts for as long as he could remember. "I just want the truth Brooke."

She sat down on the couch next to him and looked towards him. "How do I tell you something I don't know myself?" Brooke questioned, her voice still filled with tears.

"Then I should go. I'll stay at a hotel or something until you figure it out," he said. He tried not to sound bitter but he couldn't help it. After all, the house was his as much as it had been hers. But most of all, he was worried that he had lost his place in her life and in Isabella's.

Brooke nodded her head. "I do love you Nathan," she offered.

"Sometimes love just isn't enough."

Knock.

Knock.

When no one answered at Brooke's knock, she rang the doorbell repeatedly. Peyton opened the door slightly and looked at her best friend. "Brooke? Are you crazy? It's 1 o'clock in the morning," Peyton said as she held the door open. Brooke pushed past her and headed into the living room.

"Where's my daughter?" Brooke questioned.

Peyton raised an eyebrow and pointed upstairs. "She's asleep in Jenny's room, what the hell is going on?" Even as she questioned Brooke, she had a sinking suspicion that the brunette had found out about Lucas. And judging from the way she was acting, Brooke hadn't been happy to see him.

"Don't even pretend like you don't know Peyton," Brooke demanded.

Peyton shook her head sadly but didn't say anything. She looked down at the ground and sighed. Brooke wasn't just angry at Lucas. She felt betrayed by the people who she was supposed to be able to trust. Just as Peyton was about to say something, Jake stepped into the room.

"Brooke are you okay?"

Brooke shoved her hands in her jeans and shook her head yes. "Of course I am okay. I am great. I just need to see my daughter." Jake and Peyton both nodded their heads sadly.

"I know you want to talk to her Brooke, but she's sleeping. Can't it wait till morning?"

Brooke watched her two friends as Jake wrapped an arm around Peyton and she nodded her head. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry I barged in here- it's just Nathan left and I was in the house alone and I just lost it…"

"Oh Brooke," Peyton pulled herself away from Jake and brought her arms around her friend. "I am so sorry I kept it from you. It's just Lucas didn't want you finding out by someone else. He said it would hurt you worse than if he told you. I should have just told you…"

Brooke pulled away but shook her head no. "It's okay Peyt, I guess I would have done the same thing. You thought you were doing what was best. I should go," Brooke said.

Peyton turned to Jake but couldn't say anything. Instead she just nodded her head and sighed. Jake watched as his wife looked helpless at her best friend and he felt guilty. He was ashamed that they both had kept such a hurtful secret from someone who always watched over them. He smiled sadly at Brooke and reached out to rub her shoulder. "Maybe you should stay here tonight."

Brooke shook her head no and gave him an appreciative smile. She turned back to look at Peyton for a moment and brought the blonde into a hug. "I'm just going to go home. I don't know what I was thinking when I came here… I told you, I just really lost it…"

"You shouldn't be driving Brooke," Peyton said.

Brooke rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hips. "Peyton I am fine. Really. In fact I was thinking about just walking home anyways. I need the time to think and plus it'll be my exercise for the day," Brooke tried to joke. When neither of them laughed, Brooke leaned up to give Jake a kiss on the cheek. "See you in the morning. And P. Sawyer, I love you," she said turning towards her friend. She exited the house as quickly as she had barged into it and made her way down the darkened street.

"Walking was a really bad idea," Brooke groaned to herself. She hadn't been thinking when she had decided to walk home, her feet were hurting from her heels and it was getting cold outside. She turned on Burnette Drive and found herself standing in front of a familiar house.

1829.

Brooke found herself unable to move as she stared up at his mothers house. Tears sprang to her eyes as she continued to stare. If she closed her eyes, she would remember the nights they would sit on the front porch talking about anything and everything and nothing really at all. She would be cuddled up in his arms and they would be drinking his mothers hot chocolate. Somehow ten years hadn't faded the memory.

She heard someone walk up behind her but she didn't move. As her heart beat increased, she shut her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry about earlier," she whispered. He walked up and stood beside her but said nothing. "I guess we should talk."

Lucas shook his head in agreement but didn't look at her. He stared at his childhood home and chuckled. "It's amazing, how on the outside everything looks exactly as I left it… but if you look closer and peer inside everything's changed."

"Not everything has changed Lucas," Brooke reminded him.

He found himself laughing despite the situation. "I guess that's true. After all, Peyton's still with Jake and Haley's still talented, and you're with Nathan- OH RIGHT, you were with me," Lucas yelled.

"You left!"

Lucas shook his head and turned towards her. "I left because I thought that was what we needed. I didn't expect you to move on so fast. And with my brother." Lucas paused for a moment and Brooke looked up at him. For a moment the anger that had been in her eyes had lessened and sadness had taken its place.

"I'm sorry," Brooke repeated.

Lucas looked away from her and back towards the house. "I guess we both are."

"Lucas," Brooke pleaded for him to look at her. When he didn't, she grabbed a hold of his arm and turned him to face her. When her skin touched his, electricity ran through both of their bodies. A familiar feeling that had been missing for years had come back and was as strong as it was their first time touching. "Nathan and I… I can't lie and tell you that there's nothing between us. But it's not what you think. And I didn't just up and move on to your brother."

Lucas reached his right hand out in front of him and touched her face gingerly. He held it their for a moment before putting it back down at his side. Brooke was unable to say anything as he pulled out of her grasp and walked towards the porch. "Are you coming? I don't think we should be having this discussion outside considering what time it is," Lucas said. Brooke nodded her head and followed slowly behind him. He held open the side door into his room and she entered the room.

Brooke turned around to take the sight of his old bedroom in. The furniture was the same, but it didn't have any of Lucas's possessions except a suitcase of what Brooke guessed were filled with his things. No pictures were placed scattered around the room and the trophies were down. She knew it was probably hard for Karen to keep his stuff spread out and didn't really hold it against her. After all, Brooke had tried to erase him as well.

"See, everything is different," Lucas said to brake the silence.

Brooke turned to face him and ran her hands over the bed railing. "Not everything. Lucas, we're all the same people we once were," Brooke said sadly. "We have the same weaknesses and the same strengths as we did years ago. The only difference is now we're actually working for a living."

"Brooke lets stop."

He patted the seat beside him and she raised an eyebrow. She smirked and held his glance. "I don't think that having sex is the right answer Lucas," she tried to joke. He smiled briefly but shook his head no.

"I wasn't propositioning you Brooke. I just think it's time we talk about stuff," Lucas explained.

Brooke blushed and looked down at the floor. "Well good, cause I wouldn't have accepted your proposition anyways." She meant to come off sounding angry and distant but her voice betrayed her. Brooke sounded more upset than anything. She took a seat at the desk and turned to look at him. When he said nothing she rolled her eyes. "Are we going to talk or are you just going to stare at me."

"I… I forgot how beautiful you really are," Lucas whispered.

Brooke's anger disappeared and she smiled at the compliment. "I'm mess Lucas Scott, a real mess. Look at my clothes they don't even match not to mention that the only makeup I have on is smeared because I've been crying. So, thanks for trying to be charming but I know better."

Lucas walked towards her and bent down so that they were eye level. He briefly ran his fingers under her eyes to wipe away the excess makeup the tears had left and he ran his fingers through her hair. "You're beautiful. You've always been beautiful." He pulled away and sat back down on the bed.

"I missed you Lucas Scott," Brooke said with a sigh.

Lucas nodded his head. "I missed you too," he held his breath for a moment. "Pretty girl."

……

"Mom, I'm home," Isabella said as she shut the front door behind her. It was early in the morning and Jake had just dropped her off at her house. She was worried because both Peyton and Jake had told her she had found out about Lucas being in town and Isabella knew that her mother was going to be angry.

As she entered the kitchen, she saw her mother standing at the table a few boxes placed in front of her. She took in the sight of her mother, her hair placed on the top of her head in a pony tail and her silk robe was tied around her firmly. Isabella could tell her mother had been crying as she wrapped her arms around her. She shut her eyes and held her mother tight as she whispered I'm sorry.

Brooke nodded her head and motioned for Isabella to sit down. She did as her mother said still weary. "Are you okay mom?" Isabella asked after a couple of minutes. Brooke flipped through an old scrapbook and placed it in front of her daughter.

"I'm sorry Izzy," Brooke said with a sigh. "I should have tried harder."

Isabella looked down at the book and noticed the pictures of her mother and father. She had never seen her mother look that happy and seem so alive. Her father looked happy as well. Tears formed in Isabella's eyes as she ran her fingers over one of the pictures. Her father held her visibly pregnant mother in his arms and Isabella could tell it had been taken at her grandmothers house. She looked up at her mother in confusion and shook her head. "I don't understand mom?"

"Maybe if I had tried harder, he would have stayed," Brooke said. Isabella shook her head no and was about to say something when her mother cut her off. "Maybe I should have asked him to stay, maybe…"

Isabella shook her head no. "Mom, it's not your fault and it's not mine either. Aunt Peyton told me last night that people who are meant to be together, always find their way in the end." Brooke smiled, knowing that it was her who had given that very speech to her best friend years ago. "I believe it mom. But dad's home now. Don't you get it? He's your meant to be."

TBC...

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Lucas confronts Nathan A day with Isabella & Lucas Family Reunion with Speggettii & Meatballs