As far as Brooke knew it, Lindsey was as great as she appeared. Brooke knew that if a former love was sleeping on her boyfriend's couch, it would not fare well, but it didn't seem to faze Lindsey. The couch wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep in the world, but in actuality she would take it over her bed in her lonely apartment any day of the week – especially if those days include Jamie Scott. How she could love someone so quickly was beyond her. Brooke was surprised to find Jamie staring at her as she opened her eyes. "What time is it little man?" She asked groggily.

"I may be smart, but I do not know how to tell time," he informed her.

She gave him a smile, and looked at her phone, it was only six o'clock. Do all children get up this early? This was definitely something that she was going to have to get used to. "Isn't it a little early to be up?"

"I don't think so; I told you I don't know how to tell time."

Brooke realized that the boy probably got plenty of sleep. Her bedtime was hours after Jamie passed out in the ice cream parlor. Lucas, Lindsey, and she had stayed up reminiscing about high school. It wasn't the time to catch up on every aspect of their lives when they were apart. There would be another time to do this, last night was about returning to better times. "Are you sure you still want to marry him?" Brooke had asked Lindsey after they had finished the last of the tales.

"Well is the sun up yet?"

"It is still dark out."

"That means you didn't sleep long enough, just for further references," sitting up.

"Oh. I can't go back to sleep now though, I miss my momma."

"So do I, Buddy."

"Do you think that we can go see her before I go to school?"

This question caught her off guard. She didn't know the proper answer to it. All she knew was what this little boy wanted and she really want to give him everything he wanted. "I think she would like that, can you go get dressed, and then we can go."

Jamie ran out of there before she had a chance to change her mind. She guessed it was time to get up; she looked around to find her jacket, and try to unwrinkle her outfit. Brooke had fallen asleep in her clothes. Normally this only happened when she was drunk, last night was just due to pure exhaustion, and the fact she hadn't had a chance to get her bag from her rental car. She went into the kitchen and found a sticky note: Hey Guys – Jamie wanted to see Haley, I took him to see her. I hope that is okay. Love, Brooke. She looked down and crossed out the love, she didn't know if it was appropriate.

Here goes nothing she said as Jamie and she piled into her rental car. It occurred to her that she did not have one of those booster seats that Lucas had. "Sit on these," she said pulling magazines from her bag.

"What for?"

"Isn't the car seat so you are off the seat?"

"I think it is to protect me, I don't think magazines will do that."

"Well, I don't have a seat for you buddy, it is the magazine seat or none."

"Okay, I can't wait to tell Momma."

"Maybe this is something we save for after school, when Brooke is gone, and your momma doesn't get mad at me."

"She only gets mad at Daddy."

Brooke remembered what Lucas had said the day earlier, but when it was coming from Jamie's lips it seemed as if it was devastating truth. "Does she get mad a lot?"

"Only when he throws things or yells too loud or drinks too much," he thought about it, "I think it is a lot."

"Does your daddy ever yell at your mom?"

"That is all he does," a five year old shouldn't see this, or hear it.

"I am sorry, Jamie. I know that your daddy loves you. Don't you know that?"

"Momma loves me, Uncle Lucas loves me," but he didn't say Nathan.

"You can add one more to list, me," she said looking back at the boy, "okay, I think your momma is going to be happy to see you," she said changing the subject.

The newly former pair made it to the door hand and hand, "Can I ring the doorbell?"

Brooke didn't see why not, but she soon regretted it when she heard screaming inside the house. Loud noises did not suit a hangover, and Brooke was certain Nathan was not happy to be awoken to Jamie's excessive ringing. Haley quickly opened the door, "Momma," Jamie squealed jumping into Haley's arms. He wasn't able to see his mother's pain stricken face, but Brooke saw it and she couldn't take her eyes off of Haley. She was damaged.

"What are you doing here?" Haley questioned, taken completely off guard by the pair at her doorstep. Everyone knew not to come in the morning, especially with the little boy. The mornings were sometimes as bad as the nights, especially after Nathan had drunk himself into a stupor. She did not want her little boy to see what she saw, and everyone knew that once Jamie was out of the house it was until the afternoon – when it was safe. Everyone knew this. Haley wasn't even dressed for the day yet, and no one saw her like this. She was completely and utterly disheveled. She looked as if she hadn't slept – which she hadn't – and the magic of makeup normal covered it up. And she was sure that the new bruise that Nathan had left on her wrist the night before was visible. It was her fault though, he wasn't finished with his beer and she tried to clean up. She should have waited until he had fallen asleep. It was her fault, but at least she would have covered it up. Everyone knew not to come in the morning; it was not a spectacle to see. Everyone knew this. Everyone except for Brooke.

Brooke too was taken off guard; she never expected to see her friend like this. She never thought it would be a problem to return a homesick little boy to his mom, but she was wrong. Bringing Jamie back to the house was the wrong decision, but in a way she was glad she did. It occurred to her now that Haley was trapped, and as important as this little boy was, her friend was in much more desperate of need. "Jamie missed his momma," Brooke informed Haley trying to look in Haley's hurt eyes, seeing this though, Haley looked away.

She was the only one would could handle this situation; she was the only one who could handle Nathan. No one else was needed, and no one else could be allowed in. "And I missed you too my baby boy," Haley said nuzzling Jamie as if nothing was wrong. For nothing was wrong, at least in Haley's eyes, or that is the façade she was going to continue pursuing.

"Haley!" The three were startled to hear, she held her son tighter as she jumped slightly as to protect him from Nathan words. But the words were meant for her, "Haley! Get your damn ass in here right now." It was Nathan, and he was not happy.

Haley reacted to the situation the best way that she could, "Hey, Jamie, did you say good morning to your Uncle Lucas this morning?" The little boy shook his head, "You know he would be heartbroken if he didn't see you before you went to school. Do you think Brooke can take you back to see him, and I will see you after school?"

The boy didn't have a chance to answer because an even angrier calling of her name summoned her, and she gently pushed the boy out the door towards Brooke, "I love you," escaped before the gates of hell were closed off so the boy would not be scared. But Haley was trapped in.

Jamie looked at Brooke, who was shocked. He gave her a hug, and Brooke lifted him up and carried him to the car. She couldn't speak or function. She wanted to keep Jamie safe, but at the same time she felt as if her friend was in desperate need. After much thought she realized that Haley would never talk to her if Jamie wasn't secured first. And after even more thinking she realized that Haley might not ever talk to her after she brought him to the Hellmount in the first place.

"Let's go back to Luke's, buddy."

"I don't think Momma was happy to see us," the frown on the little boy's face broke Brooke's already fragile heart.

"I think we woke up your daddy that is all. Not everyone likes to get up before the sun. But your mom, she was happy to see you, she wouldn't ever miss an opportunity to see her favorite person in the whole wide world."

"I wish she wasn't so sad all the time," Brooke couldn't believe that a five year old could notice this, but then again it is hard to miss something that was so evident, even a person without sight could recognize it.

"Me too, Buddy. But we have got to keep her smiling, and you are the one to do that."

In a short two minutes, Brooke had returned Jamie to Lucas'. The day was young, but there was so much about the day that was unexpected. She definitely did not expect Lucas to be running out of his house with the re-emergence of her car. This was not the same Lucas as last night either, though sadden by the situation, he was never angry, or never put on a scalding face in front of Jamie. But not this morning, he was angry, "I cannot believe you brought him over there." His words were not as loud as Nathan's, but they resonated just the same.

"I didn't know, Luke. I regret it now, but I didn't know," hoping her apologetic words would erase the harshness in his voice.

Lindsey came out the door, still in her pajamas and scooped up Jamie, "Hey Little Man, how about we make some breakfast," the boy did not hesitate, and Lindsey gave one last look to the situation and changed tempos for Jamie. Lindsey had known Haley for years now, ever since Lucas' first book, so she knew the situation. When times got hard, Lucas realized Lindsey was a keeper, she never tried to shy away, and she did everything she could to help. And right now Jamie needed to be inside so that Brooke and Lucas could talk.

"He is the worst in the mornings, Brooke. No one is supposed to be over there."

"I didn't know," she repeated, what else could she possible say?

"It is understood, that once he wakes up, and suffers a little from his hangover, then the house is suitable for Jamie. But never before he wakes up."

"Lucas, I don't know what I can say, I am sorry. I realize what I did was wrong. But before this morning, I don't think I wanted to realize how things actual are. So you can continue to tell me what was wrong with the way I handled everything, or I can try to get a handle on what is going on."

Lucas took a sigh of relief. He did not mean to yell at Brooke, like she said, she didn't know. And he knew this, but it was the situation, it was never her. He was worried about what Jamie could see. Jamie had seen so much already, but anything that he could be protected against, it was in his best interest. Lucas felt this was a controllable situation, sometimes things happen and Jamie is exposed to it and it is unavoidable. But Lucas could have protected him from this, and he supposed he was actual angrier at himself then he was Brooke.

"I shouldn't have reacted that way Brooke, I am sorry," he put a hand to his head to rub his hair, "I am sorry. I am just trying to protect him."

"I want to do the same thing. I just didn't realize that seeing his mother in the morning would scar him. I feel as if it scarred me as well, and I am an adult. Lucas, I am scared for their well-being."

"We all are, Brooke."

"Then why hasn't something been done? There is only so much protecting you can do, before it becomes out of our hands. What are we going to do then?"

"We haven't gotten to that point yet."

"You want to get there?"

"Never, Brooke. This is the best way for everyone involved right now."

"I definitely think it is for Jamie, but what about Haley? Is she going to be living as a battered woman for the rest of her life? There has to be a breaking point."

"Not yet."

"Again Lucas, do we want to get there? I have never seen her like this. I am trying so hard to find even a glimpse of my former friend, but it is difficult."

"This is the way that she wants it. We are trying to respect what she wants."

"Lucas, I am going to be honest with you right now, and I don't want you to get angry at me." She paused trying to gather her thoughts so the right words came out, "I think that you don't see what I have seen."

"Brooke, you have been here less than 24 hours, how is this possible?"

"I am an outsider, I am looking in. I see things that you will never see. This is normal to you, and to everyone else. But what I see it so abnormal, Lucas, it is not right. Something has to be done."

"This is what she wants, Brooke. She wants Jamie to be protected from it all. She doesn't let us try and protect her. She pushes us away and makes sure that he is okay."

"But Haley isn't."

"I know that, and I hate to admit it, because I feel as if I have failed her."

"You haven't failed her, Lucas; you are respecting what she wants. But I think that we have to step over what she thinks is best."

"But what about Jamie?"

"I think in the long run, losing his mother is going to be a whole lot worst."

"We are not going to lose Haley, Brooke. She is not going to go away."

"I can't even see her, Lucas."

Lucas sat down on the hood of Brooke's rental car. He had to gather his thoughts, and the insight that Brooke was telling him. She was right though. It was so normal, all of it was. They all acted as it was okay just as long as Jamie was okay. But it was not normal for Haley to be as she was. But everyone acted as it was. He put his hands to his head, "I don't know what to do, Brooke. I'm losing my best friend," he admitted it to them both, "and it took a stranger to our last four years for me to recognize it."

There was silence as Lucas looked at Brooke in disarray. He looked away as to try to find the solution to it all. Brooke got up from the seat she had occupied, "What are you doing?" Lucas asked her, surprised with her sudden movement.

"I'm going to go talk to her."

"You can't go over there, Brooke. It is not safe."

"It is not safe for a five year old boy, it better be safe for a twenty two years old, because Haley is there now. And if it isn't safe, then she sure as hell shouldn't be over there."

He couldn't fight her, no matter what he said, she was going to go. He backed away from her car, and she drove out of the driveway. Maybe Brooke could be the savior they all needed. What they didn't know was that she needed to be saved as well.

Hey all. I hope you like it thus far. Not everything appears as it seems, so please don't be upset with any event that has or will occur. Please let me know what you think, it would be great encouragement for me to continue. Peace.