Authors Note: Hi all you fantabulus readers!!! I may not be able to update for like a full week or so cuz my computer has to get fixed but I wanted to update now before it gets fixed lol. I hope you all enjoy this chapter it has a little more 'family type' interactions between brucas and the kids.
I know I promised personal replies but I am soooooooo busy and barely have enough time to update so I SWEAR there will be personal replies with chapter ten for the last few chapters. I would like to specially thank Ghostwriter, brookescott3, WhiteRose0925, tanya2byour21, Othhillfan, Jade St. Jms, naley38901 for your AMAZING replies I appriciate them soo much and this update is for you :) I am sooo happy to know that you all love the story so much and it really means a lot to me. Please keep reading and replying... enjoy this chapter :)

Paternal Instinct
Chapter 9
Three Little Words From A Little Mouth

Time passed quickly before anyone had known it we had been in Tree Hill for nearly three weeks. Brooke and I were still growing as friends, as was her relationship with James and Maddison. I started work at the loval high school and surprisingly I loved it, I had always imagined my life would only ever be happy, full, and satisfied if I were writing... but I was wrong. I loved teaching, it gave me a new sense of accomplishment, like that what I was doing really truely made a differenct and I could help others, I was even considering coaching the basketball team, well assistant coaching but it was still cool.

Brooke was still staying with us and she watched Maddie and Jamie while I was at work. James started school the day I started teaching and as Brooke ahad predicted he was in her sister Lilly's class. Brooke and Maddison's relationship was growing quickly and it continued to worry me. When Maddie got up in the mornign it was the first thing she ever did, was go find Brooke, when she wanted to play she wanted Brooke, and when I read her her bedtime story she begged for Brooke to do it. Maddie relied on Brooke for everything and the what made it worse was that Brooke truely was okay with that. Brooke was more of a mother to James and Maddison than Peyton ever was and that worried me because Brooke would soon be moving out and what would Maddison's reaction to that be?

One thing was for sure though these past three weeks had been the happiest my children and I had ever been.

"Daddy! We're havin sgetti" Jamie yelled cheerfully running towards me as I entered the front door.

"That's great Jimmy Jam" I said laughing his favorite food had always been spegetti and it was hilarious how excited he got over the simple things in life. "Go and get washed up for dinner please" I told him.

"Already did see" he said showing me his hands.

"Well aren't you awesome" I laughed picking him up and putting him on my shoulders to carry him to the kitchen.

"Brooke look I'm tall" James hollered as we entered the kitchen.

Brooke was standing at the counter where it appeared she was tossing a salad. She looked up and laughed. "I don't think you're gonna be able to use that basketball hoop we got today if you are really that tall" she said looking surprised.

"Noo, no Daddy let me down" he said trying to get off my shoulders, I let him down laughing at his enthusiasm. "See Brooke I was just on Daddy's shoulders" he said.

"So you tricked me" she gasped and started tickling him. The kitchen was filled with laughter from them, from Maddie in her high chair laughing and cooing "me next Book" and from me. This was what I had always wanted what I pictured as a child... a life, a home... a family.

We sat down on at the table to eat and several minutes later I looked over at Brooke who was happily cutting up strands of spegetti for Maddison. "You don't have to do that you know, I can get it, and dinner too. You're here to protect us, not do everything for me" I told her politely. Brooke had had dinner waiting every night by the time I got home since I had started work, except for a couple of times when she had volenteered to take Jamie and Maddie to the park or something and I made it but she was still doing something for us during that time. During the day she had even started taking Maddison to her store with her. She owned a small clothing store here in town and despite my pleas about sending Maddie to daycare and her going to work, she refuses. She makes breakfast most mornings, I take James to school when I go to work, and Brooke takes Maddison to work with her.

"Lucas, we've been through this... it's my job, plus I like helping you guys, I really enjoy it, if I didn't... I wouldn't do it" Brooke said smiling. I knew she was probably telling the truth but still I didn't feel right letting her do so much for us.

I just nodded and went back to eating, I mean what more could I say? After dinner we all four went along with what had become our normal evening routine.

Normal? I never imagined I would be able to say that about my life, and now it's still FAR from what would be called normal, what with our identity changing, hiding from who we really were. But it feels... right. I feel I finally have what I always wanted and I'm scared. Every moment I spent with Brooke was making it harder and harder to tell myself she was just part of the program, or even... just a friend. Brooke was the most beautiful... utterly amazing women I had ever met. Brooke was smart, and determined, she had the most gorgeous smile, just hearing her laugh could make me smile no matter what horrible thought my mind was wandering to at that moment. Brooke was the one who was helping us finally be free, I couldn't ask more of her than that... no matter how badly I wanted to.

"Goodnight Bunny" Brooke cooed into Maddie as we stood at her crib putting her to bed for the night. That was something I didn't understand I understood mine and Jamie's nicknames, Broody and JLuke, but she has only ever called Maddison Bunny.

"Why do you do that" I asked aloud?

"What" she asked back laughing and appearently confused?

"Call her that, it's the oddest nickname" I told her laughing too.

"Oh I'm sorry, it's what my mom called me, I never really thought about it... I'm sorry" Brooke said, she thought that I meant I disapproved of it.

"Noo it's fine, call her it it's okay by me, it just confused me a bit" I reassured her.

"Book Bunny" Maddie said giggling.

"Yes you're my Bunny" Brooke said smiling first at me then down at Maddie.

"Yuv you Daddy, Yuv you Book" Maddie said shutting her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Neither Brooke or I moved... we just stood there, staring down at my little girl, that was the first time she had ever said that to Brooke and as good as it felt to hear her open up like that to someone other than me and James was... double that was how bad it hurt because I knew that Maddison was attached to Brooke in a way that was unbreakable by me, Peyton, or anybody else. The bond that I had been fearing since that first full day here when I walked into the kitchen to find Maddie with Brooke making breakfast was now here.

"Umm, Luke..." Brooke stuttered appearently unconfortable.