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

Chapter Twenty Four

The Show Must Go On

Karen was making breakfast when she heard footsteps behind her. She gave a wide smile to her husband as he came into the kitchen. "I'm surprised Lucas isn't doing that for you. Don't tell me he is still sleeping."

"Actually, he and Nathan are still with Julian," Karen told him. The Scott twins had decided to hang out with Julian at his beach house the night before and their parents hadn't objected. They were pleased the boys were getting along with their cousin. "They haven't come back yet and I don't think they will until it's time for the play."

"You think that they're up to something?" Keith asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Karen nodded. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. Lucas was pretty pissed off when he found out Cooper was blackmailing Victoria into convincing Brooke to move out of Tree Hill. I don't blame him though. Cooper seems to know how to push our buttons."

"Can you go and see if you can find them?" Karen asked. She wanted to remain calm, but it was clear she was getting worried. "I don't want them to get into any trouble with Cooper."

"What about you? I don't want you to leave you vulnerable for Cooper to come and visit you."

"I'll be fine. After all, Lily and I are going to be at Deb's house," she reminded him. After Cooper had gotten to Victoria, they realized it was best to move the play to a more private location to make sure he wouldn't be able to ruin it. "There will be plenty of security around to make sure there are no uninvited guests."

Victoria had managed to convince Brooke to come to the show, but only if Taylor was invited too. Haley reluctantly agreed to allow her sister to come since she was now her best friend's new pal. Haley hoped Brooke would soon remember she wasn't that wild girl anymore, but she couldn't push her.

"I still think we should consider getting a restraining order against him. That way, he won't be able to bother our family again, especially Lily. You know how crazy he got when he found out you were pregnant with her, insisting she was his daughter and demanding custody rights. Thank goodness we got that paternity test taken to prove she was mine." He thought for a moment before he asked her a question. "Remind me why we didn't pursue the restraining order then."

"Because I thought that would make things worse and he would actually try to take Lily then," Karen whispered as their young daughter appeared in the room. "Lily, what would you like for breakfast? I can make something special. After all, it's a big day for you."

"I just want toast," Lily replied as she sat down at the kitchen table. "I'm too nervous to eat."

"Are you nervous about being in the play?" Karen asked. Lily nodded her head. Her mother gave her a gentle smile. "You know, I'm sure Haley would understand if you don't want to do it. It's not easy to stand up in front of people." Lily didn't answer as they heard the doorbell ring. "That's probably Haley now."

Keith frowned as he looked at the time. "It's a little early, isn't it? I didn't think she would be here until after breakfast."

Karen didn't have a chance to answer as the person kept ringing the doorbell as if the unexpected guest desperately wanted to come into the house. "I don't think that's Haley," she said as she hurried to the front door. Pulling it open, she was surprised to see Rachel. She had only met the young lady a few times, but there was no mistaking the redhead. "Rachel, what can we do for you?" she asked as Keith joined them in the foyer.

"I think the guys are in trouble," Rachel told them and the two parents exchanged concerned looks. "The guys left last night and they haven't been back since. And this morning, Julian left a heartfelt message on my voicemail. It was really weird because it sounded so final."

Karen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He sounded like he was saying good-bye for good or something," Rachel explained as she pulled out her phone and gave it to Keith. "You didn't get anything like that from Lucas or Nathan, did you?" she asked as Keith began to listen to the message. Karen wondered what it said, but her husband's face gave no indication to what the message said.

Karen realized Rachel was still waiting for an answer. She shook her head as Keith gave Rachel her phone back. He had a grim expression on his face. "Did you say that the boys had been out all night?" he asked. Rachel nodded. "And they never said where they were going?" As Rachel shook her head, Keith turned to his wife. "The boys must have gone after Cooper."

Rachel was about to ask when Karen stopped her. "I'm sure Julian's fine." She tried to comfort her as she noticed Keith grabbing his coat. "Keith, where are you going?"

Keith didn't answer her. "Stay with Deb and the others until I come back. I don't want you to go anywhere alone." He gave his wife a kiss before he grabbed his cell-phone. "I'll call you once I find them. I love you."

"I love you too. Be careful," Karen advised him before she and Rachel watch him leave. There was an awkward silence between the two women before Karen spoke again. "Can I get you anything?" she offered as she led her into the living room.

Rachel shook her head as she sat down on the sofa. "No, I don't think I can eat." Karen nodded understandingly before she excused herself to check on Lily. "Is Cooper dangerous?" she asked worriedly. Karen froze and turned around to face her guest. "He doesn't look like a guy who would kidnap my best friend and hand her over to her stalker, but he really fooled me. Did you know I had a crush on him? I thought he was charming, but he just wanted to use my wedding to get close to Brooke. And now my husband is planning on sacrificing his life to save me and his family from his uncle."

Karen stopped her right there. She didn't want Rachel to jump to too many conclusions. "Wait a minute; we don't know if that has happened."

"Why else would Julian make that phone call?" Rachel pointed out. "And if he was okay, then why hasn't he called? I haven't heard from him all night and I'm really worried. Where the hell are they?"

Karen wished she had the answer to that. She wished she could comfort her, but the words didn't seem to come this time. She was just as worried as Rachel was about Lucas, Nathan and Julian. Finding out that her sons had lied to her about where they were going didn't help matters either.

The two women only had a few moments to themselves before the doorbell rang again. This time, it was Haley, who immediately sensed the tension the moment she walked into the foyer. She frowned. "Rachel, what are you doing here? What's going on?"

"When was the last time you and Nathan spoke?" Karen asked her.

"It was last night right before he and Lucas headed to the beach house," Haley replied, trying not to notice Rachel's annoyed look on her face. "Why? Did something happen to him?"

Karen spoke before Rachel could explain. "No, it's just that Lucas, Nathan and Julian took off last night without telling anybody what their plans were. And we're just trying to figure out where they are and make sure they aren't in any trouble."

"Why would they take off without telling anyone?" Haley asked before she answered her own question. "Oh my god! They went after Cooper, didn't they?" She let out a frustrated groan. "I'm going to kill him."

"Join the club," Rachel piped up. "But at least your boyfriend isn't going to do something stupid like my husband will do."

Haley became alarmed as she heard her cell phone ringing. To her relief, the person on the other end was Nathan. She was ready to ask a million questions, but he spoke up first. "Hales, I know I have some explaining to do and I promise I will tell you. But you have to know we had to do this. I didn't want Cooper taking advantage of you like he did with Victoria and Brooke. And you don't have to worry about either of us. Both Lucas and I are fine. Tell Rachel that Julian is okay too and we're on our way home. We'll be back in time for the show. I love you." He hung up before Haley could even say a word.

Haley wasn't happy with the message, but she felt a little better. She saw the curious looks on Karen's and Rachel's faces. "Well, the good news is that everyone is okay and they are on their way home." Karen let out a relieved sigh. That was the news she was hoping for.

However, Rachel was still pissed off her husband had kept a secret from her and wasn't afraid to show it. She huffed as she got up from the sofa. "I'm not sure you will see me or Julian at Deb's house."

"But you're in the play," Haley protested. She couldn't believe Rachel was bailing on her at the last minute. Of course, she shouldn't have been surprised. It was just like Rachel to think about herself. Haley wasn't backing down. "You can't just drop out the day of the play just because you're pissed off at your husband for keeping a secret from you. Don't you think I'm pissed off at Nathan? But I'm still going."

"Of course you have to go. You're the director/writer/narrator," Rachel said. "The play wouldn't exist without you."

"I can't find someone else at the last minute unless you want me to have Brooke play herself."

Rachel gave her a wide smile as she considered the idea. "Well, that would be interesting to see."

Karen spoke up. "I really don't think that would be wise. Brooke is still uncomfortable around us. So I don't think she would want to stand up in front of strangers and play herself."

"Did you know there are rumors flying around that Brooke is pretending not to know us because she wants to be that party girl?" Rachel asked. Haley looked at her confused. "Yeah, I didn't believe it either. I even investigated to see who started that rumor and it was that Felix."

Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? I thought it was Taylor since she's Brooke's new best friend. And I would have thought you would be happy with her being the party girl again."

"My perspective has changed since that psycho Ian kidnapped Brooke," Rachel explained. "Besides, I have a husband now. I don't need to go to those college parties anymore, but I do miss my best friend. I want her back just as much as you do, but I'm not going to be able to concentrate if I'm too busy being pissed off at my husband."

"That's why the play would be a perfect distraction," Haley insisted as she looked at the time. "Why don't we discuss this on our way to Deb's house?" she suggested. She didn't let Rachel respond. "The guys are probably going to head over there anyway. You might as well yell at him there."

Rachel knew she was right. They were about to leave when Karen remembered Lily, who had poked her head into the room. "Rachel isn't the only one who doesn't want to be in the play. Lily has a little bit of butterflies in her stomach."

"You don't want to do it either?" Lily asked as she looked at Rachel. "How come?"

Rachel didn't know how to explain her answer to her. Since she was a child, she would ask too many questions. So she made up a lie. "Because I have butterflies in my stomach like you do." Lily didn't look convinced. "What? You didn't think that grownups gets nervous too?"

Lily shook her head. "Brooke said that you live for people looking at you."

Rachel tried not to laugh. "Well, that wasn't always true. You should have seen me when I was younger. I wasn't really confident with myself until Brooke came around." Rachel then realized how selfish she was being. Despite Brooke still not aware of how deep their friendship was, she needed her right now. Rachel turned to Haley. "Ok, you win. I'm not going to drop out of the play."

Haley was surprised at the quick turnaround, but there wasn't any time to question it. "Lily, are you sure you don't want to be in the play?" she asked her as she knelt down to her level. "It would be hard to replace you and you would be missing out on a lot of fun." There were a few moments of silence as Lily looked around at the three women. They were giving her encouraging looks and Lily finally agreed to continue to be in the play. They then gathered what they needed to bring before they headed to the car.

When they arrived at the house, Millie greeted them at the front door. She gave them a wide smile as she spoke. "Hey, we were wondering where you guys were. Jake, Peyton, Skills and Bevin are already here."

"What about Julian?" Rachel asked. "Is my lying husband here yet? I really want to yell at him before the play."

Millie was confused as she shook her head. Rachel let out a frustrated groan before she continued into the house. "She's just worried about Julian," Karen explained, giving out a few details. "He, Lucas and Nathan took off last night and they haven't returned home yet. But they said they'll be back in time for the play. Now where can I put these?" she asked as she showed her the tray of food that she had in her hands.

The conversation was soon forgotten as Millie showed Karen where to put the food while Haley and Lily went to find the others who were going to participate in the play. Rachel tried to listen to what Haley had to say, but she was focused on Julian returning. She kept trying Julian's cell, but he wouldn't answer his phone.

To her annoyance, the guest of honor arrived before Julian did. Brooke gave a polite smile to everyone before she and Taylor left the group. "Does she remember any of us?" Millie asked sadly. She hadn't seen Brooke much since she had returned home, but she had heard the rumors that were spreading around about her "fake" memory loss.

Haley let out a deep sigh. "I don't know," she admitted. "Victoria hasn't given us an update lately. As far as I know, she remembers her old house and the café. And she remembers a scene where her parents were fighting and her hugging Karen after she and Keith let her move in with their family."

"What about Taylor?" Jake asked as he joined the girls. He couldn't help but overhear the conversation. "Isn't Taylor hanging out with her a lot?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she would tell me anything about what Brooke remembers," Haley replied. "I think she enjoys having Brooke as a drinking buddy too much. She claims she is looking after her, but I'm not so sure. Taylor really doesn't look after anyone except herself."

"Wasn't she the one who found Brooke in the first place?" Jake reminded her. "If it wasn't for her, Brooke wouldn't be with us right now."

Haley had to admit he was right. She was grateful Taylor had identified Brooke when she was brought in the hospital and had called her after confirmation from the doctor. However, she didn't respond as she saw Nathan standing in the doorway. Relieved to see he was okay, she ran over to him and embraced him in a tight hug. "I've been so worried about you. Where the hell have you been?"

"I'm fine. Can we talk about it later?" Nathan asked her. "Brooke is about to meet Lucas and he wants you there for back up." He took her hand in his and she followed him across the hall into the living room where Lucas was standing in a corner of the room.

They greeted each other before Lucas spoke. "I don't know if I can do this," he said anxiously as he looked over at Brooke and Taylor, who were having a lively conversation on the sofa. "What if the first thing she remembers about us is the last argument between us?"

"You can't think like that," Haley told him. "There are plenty of great times between you two. Just go over there and reintroduce yourself." She gently pushed him closer to the the sofa. "And remember to take it slow."

Lucas let out a deep breath as he walked over to the two girls. Brooke and Taylor looked up as Lucas cleared his throat. He was about to speak when Brooke spoke up first. "You must be the real Lucas Scott." Lucas nodded. "It's nice to meet you. You're Nathan's twin brother, right?"

Lucas nodded and was about to respond when it was announced that all of their guests had arrived. So it was time to head down to the basement for the show. Lucas excused himself and followed his friends to the place where they were going to change into their costumes. Everyone was asking questions about where Lucas, Nathan and Julian were, but they kept quiet on their location.

In the basement, there was a stage set up with a curtain in front of it. There were several chairs with a seat reserved in the front row for Brooke. Taylor sat right next to her. Deb, Karen, Victoria, Julian, Alex and a couple of others including Keith found seats behind the two ladies. Haley waited until everyone took their seats before she came up on stage. "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Brooke Penelope Davis. She was an only child who lived with her parents. She was very lonely until one day in kindergarten; she met two kids who would become her best friends, Haley and Mouth."

The curtain was pulled and there was Lily, Millie and Mouth. They did a little reenactment of how the three friends met. Lily didn't show her nervousness as she recited her lines perfectly. Her parents smiled proudly at her as they watched her, glad she was over her stage fright.

The play continued with the Brooke and Peyton rivalry, Brooke's past relationship with Felix and Brooke partying with Rachel. Haley had done her best to keep it appropriate with Lily and Alex being in the room. She had also included the night Brooke had come over to Haley's house to tell her that her parents were getting divorced and the play ended with the day Lucas surprised her by giving up his room for her to move in with his family.

The curtain then closed for a moment as Lucas, Nathan, Lily, Millie, Mouth, Rachel, Jake, Peyton, Skills and Bevin rushed back on the stage to take their bows. The curtain was pulled open and they took turns bowing to their audience. Lucas looked at Brooke's reaction and there was a small smile on her face. Haley then came out onto the stage once again. "Brooke, I know it's hard, but I want you to know that we are all here for you. We love you, Brooke." There was one more round of applause as they looked at the guest of honor, who was still had a small smile on her face.

As everyone gathered around the performers to compliment them on the great jobs that they had done, nobody really heard the doorbell ring until one of the caterers came downstairs and told Deb that there were some unexpected visitors who needed to interrupt the party. The chatter stopped as a couple of police officers came into the basement, wondering what they were doing there. It was never a good sign when an officer comes to the house. One of them spoke up. "Is there a Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott and Julian Baker here?" he asked. The three young men made their presences known as their friends and family became concerned. "You three are under arrested for the murders of Cooper Lee and Ian Banks."