Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while for my updates. Mostly just because this week has been super busy for me, my daughter just turned one and I have had family in from out of town. Hopefully the updates will be more frequent. And also, thanks for the reviews I have been getting :-)
CHAPTER TWELVE
Something like Fate
"Where the hell would he be?" Lucas said to himself. He wanted to talk to Nathan, he wanted to get answers to his questions. There was so much that Lucas felt he had the right to know and still was concerned that perhaps he might not want to hear it. His talk with Brooke had gone better than he expected and even though she seemed okay last night, he knew that it was just a matter of time before her anger resurfaced. She was hurting and he knew that neither one of them could afford to pretend that everything was good between them.
Tree Hill was a small town, one that Lucas had once loved. Bigger cities, such as New York of Las Vegas had the appeal and the mystery of the strangers living within them, but Tree Hill had something none of those had. It had Brooke, his friends, his family, his roots…
And then it hit him. Nathan would go to their common ground. He got into his car and headed off to the river court. Once there, he saw Nathan laying on the pavement. He slowly walked towards his brother and called out to him. "Nate." His brother ignored him, simply stared at the sky above him. "Nathan, we have to talk about this."
Nathan sat up and leaned his elbows against his knees. He smirked at his older brother and shook his head. "What's to say?" He questioned, but he knew his brother wasn't going to drop any of this-anytime soon. Lucas sat down beside him and glanced towards the basketball hoop.
"You know this was our place," Lucas said. "No matter how angry we were at each we always had this place. We always had basketball." Nathan nodded his head and played with the ball in his hands. He said nothing but waited until Lucas finished. "Brooke and I talked last night."
Nathan shook his head in disbelief and rolled his eyes. "Figures. Look Luke- if you're coming here to tell me you're back together you can save your breathe. I don't want to hear it. But I will tell you this… if you hurt Brooke again-I'll kill you." Lucas was a bit surprised by this but knew his brother was serious. He had no intention of hurting Brooke but he wasn't sure where Nathan had gotten that they were back together.
"We're not together Nathan," he said simply.
Nathan looked at him and smiled slightly. "Wow, maybe you have lost some of your charm." Lucas rolled his eyes and stood up.
"Look… I really hurt Brooke when I left town. It was stupid and I was being childish. There isn't a day that I don't regret leaving her." As much as Nathan didn't want to admit it, he could tell his brother was being sincere. "So no, we're not together. I am not sure we'll ever be together again."
Nathan stood up and threw the ball into the basket before turning to look at his brother. "So why are you here?" He questioned, but even as he said it he knew the answer. His brother wanted his girlfriend back. His family back. And in some ways, Nathan knew that Lucas probably thought he had taken them.
"I'm here…" Lucas couldn't find the right words. He met his brothers eye and continued. "To tell you that I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to prove to her, that we belong together."
Nathan shot another basket and threw the ball at his brother. "What makes you so sure? Ten years changes a person Lucas. She's not the same girl you left behind." Lucas dribbled the ball for a few moments before throwing it back to his brother, who in turn took another shot.
"I'm not the same man. It doesn't matter Nate," Lucas looked up at the hoop and smiled. For a moment he was taken back to another time, where him and Nathan were having a similar conversation and Lucas was explaining to him that Brooke was the one for him. "I shot the ball Nate, remember? All those years ago. You and your girlfriend…what was her name- Rachel something. You were giving me such a hard time and she made me shoot the ball blindfolded. I made that shot."
Nathan threw the ball hard at his brother and groaned. "Lucas- it was a lucky shot. That's all that was."
"Whatever Nate. I didn't come here to argue with you. I came to tell you I am not giving her up without a fight."
……
Lucas knocked gently on Brooke's front door. It was a little after eleven in the morning and he had planned the entire day. He would pick his daughter up and then they would grab something to eat and then catch a movie. Lucas just hoped it was something Isabella would want to do. When the door opened, he was surprised to see Brooke standing there. She smiled slightly and held the door open for him. "Come in. Isabella is almost done getting ready."
He shook his head and stepped inside Nathan's home. This was his third time being inside of it and yet the first to realize that it was actually his house. It saddened him but he knew he had no one to blame but himself. "How are you?" He asked Brooke simply.
She looked up at him as she shut the door and shook her head. "Unbelievable. How am I? Lucas- you know damn well how I am."
Lucas kept quiet and simply nodded his head. There wasn't much left he could say to her. He had apologized a million times the night before and he knew that it still wasn't enough. Just as he was about to apologize again, his daughter emerged from the stairs. "Hi dad," Isabella said with a huge grin.
Brooke fought back tears and handed her daughter her jacket. She turned towards Lucas and looked at her watch. "We have dinner around 6:30, if you can have her back by then." Lucas nodded his head and Isabella turned to her mother.
"Mom, can dad come to dinner tonight?" She asked.
Lucas's mouth fell open and he was about to say something when Brooke shook her head. "If he wants to stay for dinner tonight he can. If not, there's always next time Isabella. Now, you're going to behave right?" Brooke asked. She played with her daughters collar nervously.
"I'm going to be good mom I promise."
Brooke watched as Isabella grabbed her fathers hand and bounded towards the door. Lucas gave Brooke a weary wave and headed out following his daughter. He smiled at the girl who reminded him so much of his love. Brooke watched from the door way as they got into the car and Isabella buckled up. Lucas waved once more and drove the car off, leaving Brooke alone. She sighed and shut the door with a heavy heart.
……
Nathan drove around with no particular place to go. His mother was out of a town and he had no desire to spend one on one time with his father. And Haley had just recently told him about Karen and Keith's abrupt engagement. It seemed that they had been seeing each other under everyone's nose and this was something that brought a smile to Nathan's face. His uncle had loved Karen for as long as he could remember and the fact that she recently started to return his feelings, was almost enough to make someone believe in love again.
He stopped as the light turned red and turned on the radio station. An old love song played, to which he quickly turned off. He was trying to find another radio station when his phone rang. "What?" He answered.
"Wow, is that any way to greet a celebrity?" Haley laughed from the other end.
Nathan took a deep breath and smiled. This girl- she was nothing short of amazing. If there was one person in the world who could make him smile in a bad situation, it had always been him and this one was no different. "Hales- sorry I didn't realize it was you," he offered as an apology.
"I was wondering if you wanted to check out this apartment with me. I called Brooke but she wasn't answering her phone. Anyways, I feel like I am ready to move on my own," Haley said.
Nathan watched as the light turned green and he made his turn back into town. "Sure, you want me to pick you up?" He asked. She agreed and told him to pick her up from Peyton's. "Talk with you then Hales." Nathan hung up the phone and headed towards Peyton's house. He couldn't help but think the day was going better than he had thought.
"That was fast," Haley said as she jumped into the car. It had taken him only six minutes to get to Peyton's house and Haley was already outside ready to go. He nodded his head and then took a hold of the directions. Nathan glanced down at them and realized the apartment she was looking at was one that Tim lived at.
He laughed for a moment and turned towards her. "You do realize Tim lives at this place right? He'll be over at your place everyday." She groaned and hit his arm.
"Don't jinx me okay? I really liked this apartment."
Nathan nodded his head and drove towards the apartment. Deciding that he had had enough of silence he flipped the radio back on. It only took a second to realize that it was one of Haley's songs that was playing. Nathan turned to his friend and smiled proudly. "You sound amazing Haley."
She blushed and nodded her head. "Thank you," she whispered as she laid her head against his shoulder. Nathan looked down at her and held his breathe. They hadn't been this close for that long in such a long time. For the first time in almost 24 hours, Nathan was happy. And it was all because of the beautiful girl with her head on his shoulder.
……
"So was that a good movie?" Lucas asked as they made their way out of the building. Isabella shrugged her shoulders and then turned to him with a smile.
"Mom says anything with Johnny Depp is a good movie."
Lucas laughed. He remembered what Nathan had said to him, about how much Brooke had changed and couldn't help but think that she hadn't changed that much. Everything that Isabella had told him today, had made him believe that Brooke was still very much- Brooke. "You'd think she'd get over that. Considering he's old enough to be her dad."
"She's always liked him?" Isabella asked suddenly.
Lucas nodded his head yes and then unlocked the door for his little girl. "I remember being dragged to all of his movies." As she got into the car, he shut the door behind him and got in himself. "Don't let me fool you though. You're mom was very compromising. I would watch a Johnny Depp movie and she would go see whatever latest action movie was out at the cinema."
"You liked action movies? That seems more like something Uncle Nate would like."
It was the first time that Isabella had really actually mentioned Nathan's name willingly and her smile fell from her face. Lucas shrugged his shoulders and turned towards his daughter. "Well what type of movies did you think I like?"
Isabella thought for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. As Lucas began to drive she turned towards him. "I guess I just thought something like documentaries or something…"
"That's more your Aunt Peyton's type. I like them," Lucas agreed. "But your Uncle and I use to watch a lot of action movies together when we were younger. So I guess… Well I guess they kind of grew on me."
Isabella nodded her head and then looked out the car window. "So are you staying for dinner?" She asked quietly. Lucas said nothing but kept his eye on the road. Truth was, he had been thinking about that all day. He wasn't sure if staying for dinner would cause another fight between him and Brooke but he did want to spend time with his daughter. And Brooke.
"I haven't decided yet Isabella."
She nodded her head and waited for the car to come to a stop. They were in front of her house and it was 6:25. She turned to her dad and hugged him briefly before opening the car door. "I really think you should. Mom and you really need to talk." With that she shut the door and ran towards her front door. Lucas thought for a moment before turning the ignition of and stepping outside. He knew that their daughter was right, he knew that Brooke and him needed to talk.
……
"Dinner was great," Lucas said about an hour or so later. Brooke nodded her head and gathered the dishes from the kitchen table. He watched her as she placed the cups in the soapy water and then rinsed them. Isabella had already gone upstairs to change into her pajama's and Lucas knew it was almost time for him to go. Since he had gotten there, the two had barely talked to each other. At first it had been awkward, but once his daughter began to explain the movie to her mother the tension had eased up.
During dinner he couldn't help but sneak glances at Brooke and was surprised to see how well she listened to her daughter. He remembered her telling him once, how terrified she was of becoming a mother. She was more attentive and loving more than he had ever remembered, or even believed.
"I guess I should be going."
Brooke turned to him, a bit shocked by his statement. She shrugged her shoulders and pretended not to care. "Okay. We normally watch an hour or so of television before she goes to bed," Brooke said. She placed the towel down on the sink and took off her apron.
Isabella came into the room and grabbed a hold of her father's hand. "You should stay to watch with us," she offered. She grinned up at him and then turned to her mom. "You don't mind right?"
Brooke sighed and shook her head no. Her daughter then grabbed Brooke's right hand and pulled them both towards the living room, with no time to argue. Lucas laughed at his little girls antics and smiled at Brooke. "I guess I am staying then." She smiled up at him and nodded her head.
"I guess so."
Isabella turned the television on and flopped down on the love seat. Brooke and Lucas looked at each other and then back to Isabella who had sprawled out with her feet hanging over the sides. She pulled the throw blanket over her and smiled at her parents.
"Who wants popcorn?" Brooke asked. Lucas and Isabella both nodded their heads and Brooke was happy to have a few minutes to herself. As she walked out the door, she turned around to see Lucas sitting down on the sofa. She thought briefly about Nathan and then smiled as the image of Lucas came to her mind.
After she fixed the popcorn, she walked back into the room taking the other side of the sofa and putting the popcorn between her and Lucas. Isabella smiled knowing that her plan was working.
"I can't believe you still watch this show."
Brooke shot Lucas a dirty look and rolled her eyes. Grabbing a few pieces of popcorn she popped them in her mouth before shrugging her shoulders. "I like saved by the bell. It's a classic show- and Marc Paul Gosselar was a hottie back in the day."
"I guess I shouldn't complain because Kelly's hot."
Brooke turned to him and laughed. "See, not everything changed!"
They were too busy with their playful banter to notice that their daughter had snuck out of the room. Isabella knew they needed time to themselves and she was just the person to give that to them. But there was no harm in listening?
Brooke placed her hand into the bowl of popcorn and felt Lucas graze her knuckles. It was a gentle touch, but enough to make them both turn towards each other. Lucas looked down at their hands and Brooke's cheeks burned. It was the second time since he had arrived back in town that Lucas and Brooke had touched and this time, neither was pulling away.
He pulled her towards him and she cuddled into his body. There were a million thoughts running through her mind and she knew she would regret being this close to him in the morning. But as she laid her head against his chest, she knew she was gone. Being with Lucas, even it was just for a single second- was worth it. She threw logic out the window for the night and shut her eyes, knowing she could deal with everything else later.
TBC.
Well? Love it? Hate it? Let me know.
Also- I know some people are wondering why Brooke is being so nice to Lucas and I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that she hasn't FORGOTTEN. They still have some problems that lie ahead of them- but for right now she is glad to have him back home.