Title: No Reason To Let Go

Extended Summary: Lucas and Brooke have a huge history, and are no longer together. SHe and Peyton live in a beach house in South Carolina, and invite the three leading men in their lives down for a couple of weeks. Peyton is dating Jake, and has been for awhile now. Sparks begin to fly between Lucas and Brooke again, but also between Brooke and Nathan. Secrets are revealed as Brooke is put into a difficult position.

Author's Note: Here's my newest story! I know I said I was going to start Daddy Come Home, which I did write a chapter for, but this idea came to me and I just had to write it. Its going to be so cool! I am very, very excited about it. Please leave reviews and comments letting me know what you think. Any and all suggestions are accepted! I don't know if this will be Brooke/Lucas or Brooke/Nathan. Honestly, I have no idea. Tell me what you want!

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, they belong to The WB and Mark S.

Chapter One

"Reminiscing"

Brooke browsed through the bikini rack at the local surf shop, looking for nothing in particular. She had other things on her mind. Like the fact that her ex boyfriend was coming to stay with her for the summer. Well, maybe that was being a little dramatic. He would be there for about a month. But still, that's a lot of "ex" to deal with.

The ex in question was the one and only Lucas Scott. He is quite the heartbreaker, as Brooke has been a victim of this more than once. Most recently, he broke her heart for another girl. Wow, what a surprise. It was six months ago, in December, when the news came. You see, Brooke and Lucas had broken things off for college, but when they were 23, they got back together. The following spring both of them graduated, Brooke with a nursing degree, and Lucas with a business major.

Brooke's major drew confusion from those close to her, because they all thought she would want a degree in fashion or shoes or something. She proved them all wrong, and is in fact a very good nurse. Her first choice was of course fashion, but she came to her senses and realized she may not always be successful with that. One day, while volunteering with Peyton at a hospital, it hit her with what she wanted to do with her life. From then on, it was nursing. Lucas went with a simple, yet satisfying major. He played college basketball for four years, and this would be the first year he wouldn't play on a team. It made him sad, but he didn't think much of it. His personal life demanded much more attention.

They both lived in New York, with Brooke in the city and Lucas right outside of it. They were close enough to visit, yet far enough to not run into each other. The stress of graduating got to them, and all their arguments eventually led to their decision to have an open relationship. Both of them found others to occupy their time. Lucas met a girl named Carly, and they saw each other for a few months in the summer. Brooke dated here and there, never really settling with one guy. She was 24, fresh out of college, and was looking for 'the one'. With Brooke, that is never a simple task. She knew what she wanted in a man, and if she found something wrong with one she simply moved on.

Brooke and Lucas stayed split for the summer, but reunited when they returned to Tree Hill for a visit in late October. Brooke was busy looking for a job, but while in New York City, she couldn't find a hospital she wanted to work at, or one with anything available. She worked at one, but was extremely unhappy there. In the meantime she and Lucas enjoyed each other's company. They quickly became close again, and it was the first week of December when Brooke found the perfect job for herself. The problem was, it was in Charleston, South Carolina. Which was fine with her. She didn't enjoy the city as much as she originally thought she would. It was perfect for the flirty, free spirited girl she had once been. But it was also dirty, and too busy. She would always love to go back and visit, but the job in Charleston provided the perfect situation for her.

Peyton lived in Charleston. She had gone to college there, and absolutely fell in love with the city. It sat flawlessly on the Atlantic Ocean, and she had received an art major the same time Brooke had graduated. She spent the summer in Tree Hill with her boyfriend, Jake. Jake still lived where the old friends grew up, for the simple concept of convenience. He had gotten a two year degree at Tree Hill Community College, and lived in a small but nice apartment with Jenny. He didn't have much money, and she was about to enter kindergarten. He needed his parents nearby, which is one reason he lived there. Also, he secretly hoped Peyton would come back to live with him. He missed her like crazy, but knew there was no way he could relocate to Charleston.

Which she did live with him, for a few months. While she was there, she realized just how much she missed Charleston. Around October, she decided to move back. She got a teaching job there, teaching classes at the college in town. It suited her fine, because it not only gave her a steady income, but it provided her time to draw by herself. She leased a small studio apartment downtown, and mostly kept to herself. As much as she missed Jake and Jenny, she also loved living there. It brought back wonderful college memories, and the whole town was fresh and new.

That December, Brooke went to visit Peyton. She had scheduled an interview with the hospital, and surprised her friend. She was appalled at the size of Peyton's residence, and let her best friend know. Peyton simply shrugged, because though she too didn't care much for her pad, it provided her with what she needed. Brooke then told Peyton of the job offer, and how much more money she would make because there was such a desperate need of nurses. Peyton excitedly urged her to take it, but Brooke hesitated because of Lucas. She loved him, and didn't want to be without him. She returned to New York the next day, the decision weighing on her mind.

That same day, she noticed Lucas was acting funny and called him on it. He told her Carly had visited, and she was three months pregnant with his child. Brooke lashed out at him, but he defended himself by saying they weren't together when he created the child with Carly. Doing the right thing, he broke things off with Brooke to be with Carly. For him, it was the only thing to do. This completely tore Brooke apart, and she immediately called South Carolina and accepted the nursing position at the county hospital. She moved the following week. She needed to get her mind off Lucas, and how hurt she was. Though she knew he was deeply sorry, and if he could change things, he would, she couldn't stay in New York. A job, a great job, was waiting for her, and she would be closer to home.

When she first arrived, she stayed with Peyton. That was hell for both of them. Brooke had way too much stuff, though she placed most of it in storage. She had the idea to get a house together, but Peyton doubted their financial ability. Brooke insisted they could make due. As an art professor, Peyton wasn't short on money. Neither was Brooke. Nursing was an extremely difficult profession, and because of the dyer need of them, the starting wages were unbelievable. Brooke and Peyton looked for a house on the beach, because that was the only place they wanted to live. They grew up around the beach, and each wanted to continue the tradition. Of course, the cost of beach houses were atrocious, and they broken heartedly stopped their search. One day, the agent they had been using contacted them, and informed them of an old, broken down beach house. It was rundown, and would need a little work, but it was affordable. When told the down payment, they realized they just couldn't make it.

For the next week or so, they continued living in the studio apartment. Each day got harder than the last. Brooke and Peyton returned to Tree Hill for Christmas, with Brooke narrowly avoiding Lucas and instead finding comfort and friendship in Nathan, Jake, and Peyton. Brooke explained to her parents about how she and Peyton were living, and her father was absolutely dismayed. He insisted that no daughter of his would live like that, and implied that he himself would make the down payment, if Brooke and Peyton could handle the monthly payments. Ecstatically, they both agreed whole heartedly to the deal, and by January the beach house was theirs.

The house itself was large. It had three bedrooms upstairs. Though relatively small, the rooms were perfect. Because Brooke's father had made the down payment, the two girls agreed that Brooke should have the master bedroom. Downstairs consisted of a large living area, kitchen, and dining room. It was equipped with two bathrooms, and had a deck large enough for a jacuzzi, which together they bought in April. It wasn't as massive as what Brooke was used to, but she loved it. She loved decorating, and she knew she would have a blast with this house. Of course, the house needed it. As the agent mentioned, it was old and rundown. It needed a new roof, and the carpets were all stained. The windows needed a desperate washing, and the plumbing needed to be updated.

During the next six months, she and Peyton, when not working, put all their effort into the beach house. The payments were easy, since there were two of them, so they had plenty of money to spend on the house.

By the time summer came around, renovations were done and they were just enjoying life. Brooke had been dating on and off, but her heart was still mending from the Lucas drama. She hadn't heard a word about him from anyone, which struck her as odd. But she didn't think about him too much.

Peyton invited Nathan, Lucas, and Jake down for a few weeks. They were coming for a month. This agitated Brooke a little, but she didn't worry about it much. When she had last talked to Lucas, they had been on good terms. No matter how much it upset her, he had done the right thing, and she understood. But it still made her sad. The thought of Nathan coming perked her up a bit.

Nathan Scott had been a busy man. He played college basketball for years, and had then gone pro. He now played for the Charlotte Bobcats, and was frequently in touch with both Brooke and Peyton. When Peyton had invited him, he was excited because he was on vacation from basketball, and this would give him a chance to get back in touch with his high school friends. Though he of course stayed in good contact with his brother, over the years, his friendships with the other three had faded.

Brooke glanced at her watch, and saw she only had a few minutes before she had agreed to meet Peyton at the grocery store. Bikini shopping would have to wait.

Peyton was impatiently waiting outside Walmart when Brooke came running up. "I'm so sorry, I was shopping and just lost track of time."

Peyton gave her a knowing smile. "Uh huh, I've heard it all before. Whatever, you are here now. We have stuff to do."

Jake was arriving the following morning, and Lucas and Nathan were driving in together the same afternoon. Brooke would be working, but Peyton had agreed to meet them. Jake was flying in, without Jenny. Years ago a huge custody fight had erupted between him and Nikki, Jenny's biological mother. The court had decided to let Jake have full custody of Jenny, with one exception. Nikki would get her for four weeks in the summer, and the weeks were fully up to her. Just to piss Jake off, she wanted them consecutively, for the entire month of July. In a way, it worked out for Jake, because now he could spend a month with Peyton.

As they walked through the aisles picking up stuff for lunch, Peyton took the liberty of teasing Brooke. "So, are you gonna start something with the Scott boys?"

Brooke glared at her best friend. "No. I'm done with Lucas. And Nathan... well, who knows," she said breezily.

Peyton gasped. "What?" She hissed quietly. "You want to hook up with Nathan!"

Brooke shook her head. "No, I was kidding. Joke, get it? I don't want to hook up with either of them. Nathan is a big basketball guy, he has a million other girls to occupy his time. And Lucas, well, we know his story. I still don't see why you invited him in the first place." When Brooke had first learned that Lucas was coming, she got pretty upset. It had taken months to finally get over him, and now he was coming back to reopen all wounds.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Do we have to get into this again? I couldn't invite Nathan without Lucas. It wouldn't be right. We have been over this a billion times already. You said it yourself, you and Lucas were on decent terms, right?"

Brooke shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean this whole thing won't be awkward."

"So let it be awkward. He did leave you for another woman." Peyton knew the whole story, but she refused to take sides. "There will be plenty of people hanging around the house, so I don't think you have anything to worry about. Avoid him if you have to."

"Trust me, I will be," Brooke muttered. Peyton didn't hear her though, and Brooke decided to drop it. She would make the best of this vacation, no matter how hard it got.

Please review! I know this chapter was mainly background info, but there is SO much more to come!