A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my awesome beta: Leeese.

Chapter Thirteen

How Can You Be Sure?

After a restless night, Brooke finally gave up trying to sleep and climbed out of bed. She quietly slipped out of the bedroom. She didn't want to wake Haley and Millie, who were still sleeping. They had planned to spend the night even before Rachel had disappeared. After her disappearance, it felt more important to Brooke to continue with their plans of having a sleepover. She didn't want to be alone and her friends couldn't blame her.

Brooke went down to the first floor and turned on lights as she went into each room. She didn't mind sleeping in the dark, but she hated wandering around the house in the dark. She ended up in the den and sat down on the couch. She grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television. She started to flip channels, but she couldn't find anything that she wanted to watch.

She stared mindlessly at the screen when she suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Brooke, is that you?" Haley asked. Brooke nodded her head. "You can't get Rachel out of your mind, can you?" she asked as she joined her on the couch. "I'm sure Rachel is fine. She can handle herself."

Brooke shook her head. "No, it's not just Rachel. It's also what Julian said about Dan. I'm worried that he might try to ruin my friendship with Lucas or your relationship with Nathan."

Haley stopped her right there. "We don't know if Dan is involved." She didn't want her best friend to jump to conclusions without proof. "Maybe she had to leave for a family emergency."

Brooke gave her a look. "We are talking about Rachel. Her friends are her family. No, it has to be because of Dan blackmailing her or something. Why else would Rachel pack up her stuff and take off without telling anybody?" Brooke asked. "Dan was the only one who would disapprove of their relationship." She then thought for a moment. "Actually, it could be my mother." Haley didn't believe that Victoria had anything to do with Rachel running away. She was about to respond when Brooke continued on about her mother. "Maybe that's why she has been so nice lately. She was pretending to give my friendship with Lucas and Nathan a chance when she was really planning to sabotage it. That way, she can forbid Lucas and Nathan from ever coming near me again."

"That's not the reason why she isn't allowing you two to date," Haley said. She knew that she couldn't reveal Lucas's secret, but Brooke had to know that Victoria wasn't conspiring against her. "She probably wants you two to get to know each other more before you two start dating."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "It's been a couple of months. I think we know each other pretty well by now."

"You may not know Lucas as well as you think you do," Haley muttered, hoping that Brooke didn't hear her. Luckily, Brooke didn't ask what she had said. "Whether Dan or Victoria is involved, we need solid proof before we go and confront them. It's their word against ours."

Brooke hated to admit it, but she was right. She then thought for a moment as an idea came to her mind. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "All we have to do is get Dan to confess that he blackmailed Rachel into leaving town." Haley was about to ask how, but Brooke was ahead of her. "Julian can convince Alex to record her father or put a secret camera in his office or something."

"Alex would never agree to that," Haley hissed. "She would never go up against her own father and betray him. Would you do that to yours?"

"I already did when he started cheating on my mother with Renee," Brooke replied. "Besides, I don't think we have any other choice."

"Yes, you do," Millie said as she entered the room. She had only heard part of the conversation, but it was enough. "If you are so concerned about my dad, then do it yourself. But don't drag me and Alex into this. My family is already falling apart. I'm not going to let you make it worse."

"I'm so sorry, Millie. I didn't mean to put you or Alex in the middle," Brooke said. "I just want to find out what happened to my best friend."

"I know you do, but I don't like the way you want to do it," Millie replied. "Do you think you can find another way?" she pleaded. Brooke nodded in agreement. "Thanks Brooke." She wasn't exactly happy that her friends were investigating her father, but she was glad that they weren't going to drag her into it.

The girls weren't the only ones who were awake. Across town, Karen was also having trouble sleeping. She was downstairs with a cup of tea when she heard footsteps. She looked up to see her husband. "Honey, what are you doing up?" Keith asked her. "Are you thinking about your Italy trip?"

Karen didn't respond for a moment. "Do you remember during the basketball game when I took Lily to the bathroom?" she asked him. Keith nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "You will never guess who I ran into while I was in there: Lindsey."

Keith couldn't believe his ears. "Lucas's Lindsey?" he asked. Karen nodded. "What the hell is she doing in Tree Hill?"

"I don't know," Karen replied. "I only saw her in passing. But I wouldn't be surprised if Dan convinced her to come here and ruin Lucas's relationship with Brooke. He already got rid of Rachel. I know that there isn't really proof that he forced her out of town, but we know Dan is out to ruin our lives. I just wish he wasn't hurting his own son in the process."

Keith sighed. "I know. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to move here. Maybe we should have moved farther so he wouldn't follow us."

"We didn't move here to get away from him. We moved to get away from Lindsey," Karen reminded him. "But apparently, that didn't work either. Lucas needs to tell Brooke about his relationship with Lindsey soon before Brooke hears it from someone else. I don't want Lucas to break her heart, but she has the right to know. I didn't keep my affair a secret from you, did I?"

Keith tried not to laugh. "I wouldn't call it an affair. You slept with Cooper during our separation, remember?"

"Yes, and I've regretted it ever since," Karen replied. "I don't know what I saw in that man. You're the only one for me." She then realized that she was getting off topic. "My point is that you would have been upset with me if I kept my relationship with Cooper a secret, right? Especially once Cooper came around claiming that he was Lily's father."

Keith hated to admit it, but she was right. "Yes, I would have been furious if you hadn't told me before the whole paternity battle."

"So you agree with me that Lucas should be honest with Brooke about Lindsey?" Karen asked.

Keith nodded. "Of course it's going to be hard for him after he lied to her when she asked him about it." Karen had to agree.

Over the next few days, both Brooke and Julian continued to try and get in contact with Rachel. However, she didn't take their calls. Julian didn't give up while Brooke decided to leave her alone. She would contact her when she wanted to talk to her. She just hoped that it would be soon.

Since Rachel wasn't going to return right away, Mr. Hargrove had assign to Bevin to another group. Even though Skills volunteered his group, Mr. Hargrove was skeptical. He knew that Bevin and Skills were dating. However, he also knew that she didn't know his partner as well. So he allowed her to go with Skills.

"So what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Lucas asked Brooke and Haley one day at lunch. "My parents want to invite you two over for Thanksgiving dinner."

"Unfortunately, I can't. Thanksgiving is my mom's favorite holiday. So she is planning a big dinner for the whole family," Haley replied. "Vivian and my brothers are coming down and everything."

Lucas then turned to Brooke. "What about you? Is your mother making you go to dinner with the Scotts?"

Brooke shook her head. "No, she isn't. In fact, she has some business to do that weekend so I am at the house alone again."

Lucas was about to give her an invitation to his house when Brooke heard a familiar voice that she didn't want to hear. "Brooke, may I speak to you alone for a moment?" Renee asked her.

"I'm in the middle of eating my lunch," Brooke replied. She didn't know what Renee wanted, but she didn't want to talk her right now.

"It will only take a moment. I promise," she assured her. Brooke knew that she wouldn't leave until she talked to her. So she got up from her chair and followed Renee across the quad. "What do you need?" she asked, trying to be polite.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you do have Thanksgiving plans," Renee told her. Brooke gave her a confused look. "Your mother has arranged for you to spend Thanksgiving with your father and me."

Brooke tried not to laugh. "There must be some mistake because I never agreed to that. And thank you for the invitation, but I think that I'm going to have to pass. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving dinner with Lucas and his family."

"I know you don't want to go, but we really want you there," Renee said. Brooke rolled her eyes. "We want to share some good news with you."

Brooke didn't know if she wanted to hear her next words. She decided to make an excuse, any excuse to get away from her. "You know, I have to talk to Mr. Hargrove about my homework assignment. You can just tell me another time. I'll see you later." She hurried away from Renee before she could answer. She took the long way around to make sure she wasn't following her.

Brooke finally managed to get back to the table and her friends could tell that she wasn't happy. She waited until she sat down before she told them the bad news. "Once again, my mother is trying to control my social calendar. Well, it's not going to work this time. I don't care what Daddy wants to tell me. I'm not going to spend the holidays with him and his mistress." She then changed the subject. Everyone then knew that the topic was dropped.

Once Brooke arrived home, she instantly went to find her mother. She didn't have to look far. Her mother was in the living room arguing with Dan. They stopped their conversation once Brooke came into the room. She noticed the tension between the two. "Did I interrupt something?" she asked.

"No, Mr. Scott was just leaving," Victoria replied as she glared at Dan. Dan didn't respond as he pushed past Brooke and walked out the front door. Before Brooke could ask about the conversation, Victoria spoke up first. "Brooke, I just got a call from Ms. Richardson. I heard you aren't planning on attending Thanksgiving dinner with your father. Well, that is unacceptable. I want you to call your father and tell him that you have decided to accept the invitation."

"Why can't I eat with the other Scott family?" Brooke asked. "I thought you were willing to give them a chance."

"I am," her mother assured her. "But your father really wants to see you. I don't want you to disappoint him."

Brooke tried not to laugh. "Yet, he has disappointed me plenty of times. Why should I spend time with him when he doesn't support me?"

Victoria wasn't in the mood to argue with her. "Brooke, you're going and I don't want to hear another word about it," she ordered before she started to leave the room.

Brooke suddenly stopped her. She had a burning question in her mind. "I want you to be honest with me when I ask this question: are you really okay with me talking to Lucas and Nathan?"

Victoria didn't answer for a moment. "I'm not the one who you should worry about," she replied before she left the room.

Brooke was confused by her answer before she realized that she was talking about Dan. It convinced her even more that he was the one who forced Rachel to run away. She just had to figure out how to prove it. She just hoped that she wouldn't get into too much trouble while doing it.