Rachel pressed the down button to call the elevator a bit too fiercely. Then she stood back, arms crossed, tapping her toe. After waiting a bit, the elevator had yet to arrive so Rachel jabbed the button twice more and then began to push it over and over again.

"Rachel stop!" Lucas pushed her hand away from the button.

"Sorry. It's just that these elevators are so damn slow."

"We both know that's not what this is about." Lucas gave her a knowing look as the elevator pinged open. The two stepped inside.

"That's exactly what this is about." Rachel pressed the G button. "I would like to not have to wait half an hour every time I'd like to change floors. I keep telling Brooke…" Rachel stopped herself.

"And there's that elephant in the room. Or the elevator," Lucas jested as he indicated their surroundings. Rachel cracked a smile.

"You're so stupid." She pushed him gently as he chuckled.

"But being serious, I heard you two fighting."

"You did?"

"Let's just say I've had enough experience with the two of you to know that you're not exactly the quietest of people." The elevator doors opened and the two stepped out.

"Hey, you have not had that much experience with me."

"Right, I'm probably the one guy in LA right now that hasn't slept with you."

"Why Lucas Scott, one best seller and all of the sudden you lose all form of manners."

"Fame and fortune does that to people," Lucas joked. Rachel laughed.

"Have you really made that much money?"

"A decent amount. I'm no Bill Gates, but I've got enough to live comfortably. How about you, has your modeling career brought you more money and men than you can count?" Lucas held the door for Rachel as they exited the building.

"Men yes, money not so much. I mean usually Brooke helps me, but after today who knows if I can rely on that anymore." The two began to keep a steady pace as the strolled down the sidewalk in silence.

"So how is she?" Lucas finally asked.

"Well you saw her office. She's probably the most successful of all of us."

"So that tells me how Brooke the fashion designer and Brooke the entrepreneur are, but I'm talking about Brooke the girl. The girl who's had my heart at her disposal for years now."

Rachel chose to ignore Lucas's last statement, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. "She's good. She's moved on from Tree Hill, but sometimes I can see it in her eyes. She misses it."

"And me, does she miss me?" Rachel stopped. Noticing that she wasn't beside him anymore, Lucas turned.

"Lucas she told me that you'll always have a part of heart. I mean that's apparent by that look she gets in her eyes every time the topic of you comes up." Lucas cocked his head as his ego puffed up a bit.

"You two talk about me a lot?" he teased.

"I wouldn't say a lot, but yeah we talk about you. I mean you're a good friend of mine and you were her first love. Are her first love." Lucas smiled.

"I missed you Rach." He walked to her and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"I missed you too. But you know that whole crush I had on you is long over. I've moved on."

"Ouch am I that easy to get over."

"Oh no don't worry. I cried myself to sleep many nights. Ate pints of ice cream. I even turned to alcohol," Rachel teased.

"Rachel drinking alcohol, never," Lucas mocked surprise. The two laughed as they walked across the street.

"So Lucas tell me about your book," Rachel said as she sipped her drink. They had decided to grab lunch at a nearby restaurant before continuing the tour of LA.

"You mean you haven't read it?"

"Well it may shock you but I'm not much of a reader. I mean sure I'll read the occasionally Vogue or Jane magazine, but give me a book without pictures and my head explodes."

"Well my book has a picture of a raven at the beginning of each chapter."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah right above the chapter title."

"I may have to pick it up then." Lucas smiled.

"It's about all the people in my life in Tree Hill."

"So there's a radiant and gorgeous red head that drives you mad with desire in it," Rachel taunted.

"No but there is a red head that drives me crazy because she doesn't take hints very well."

"Oh she sounds like a bitch."

"On the exterior but I know the truth. That her hard as nails exterior is just to cover up a sad and lonely little girl." Lucas gave Rachel a pointed look.

"I appreciate you worrying about me, but I'm fine. LA has been good to me. In a small town like Tree Hill all of your problems are on display for everyone. But in LA you can just lose yourself. And that's what I needed. In a weird way I needed to lose myself before I could really find myself." Lucas took Rachel's hand and squeezed it.

"I'm glad." The two smiled at one another.

They released each others hands as their food was set before them. "So who else is in it?" Rachel asked while digging in to her lunch.

"Everyone. Haley, Nathan, Mouth…" Lucas stopped to give her a pointed look.

"Don't worry I've called him since I left Tree Hill." Lucas looked at her. "Once." Lucas said nothing. "Fine it was about two weeks after I left and all I really said was hey have a good life. But you're not one to judge unless of course I've missed the dozens of phone calls from you."

"Consider the subject dropped." Lucas took a bite of his food.

"So did Peyton not make the cut?" Rachel noted absences in Lucas's list.

"No I wasn't done." Lucas continued. "Peyton, Skills, Fergie, and…" He stopped.

"A certain elephant." A nod of confirmation.

"Haley was the first one to read it. She told me that she couldn't believe I'd let Brooke come to LA if that was how I felt."

"What do you mean?"

Lucas pushed his food around a bit before answering. "She told me that the way it read was one long love letter to Brooke." Rachel smiled.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure.'

"Why did you come to LA?" Lucas's eyebrows raised in question.

"To promote my book. I had a book signing and…."

"But the book signing is over. You could have left by now. I'm sure your publisher had a flight out of here booked for you the moment the signing was done with. So why are you still here?"

"To sight see?" Lucas tried meekly.

"Put it back on the shelf because I'm not buying it." Lucas set his fork down.

"Ok maybe some part of me thought that…well maybe…I mean if I ran into her…"

"A part of you thought that maybe you could get Brooke back," Rachel filled in. Lucas nodded.

"Rachel she's still all I think about. And I hate the way we left things, so unfinished. So yeah. I'm here to get her back." Rachel put her own fork down.

"Lucas I think there's something you should know…"

"No, Rachel I know she still cares about me. I felt it when I saw her today." Lucas smiled. "In fact I don't know why I'm sitting here. I'm going to her." Lucas jumped up and threw some money on the table. "It's been great talking to you. We'll catch up some more later." Lucas was almost out the door. "Good seeing you Rachel," he called and waved over his shoulder.

"Good to see you too Lucas," Rachel called out. Then she picked up her fork and stabbed a ravioli. "This is so not ending well," she mumbled to herself.

Lucas slammed his car door. He had gone back to Brooke's office to find that she had already left for the day. After convincing the assistant that he wasn't a crazed stalker and had in fact been to the office earlier in the day, he had gotten Brooke's home address. Brooke had done well for herself; Lucas noted the enormity of the house. He scampered up her front walkway which stretched for what seemed like miles. And then he was at her door. He chuckled. A red door. Brooke had always loved being the girl behind the red door. Lucas raised a shaking fist and knocked twice. He heard barking from within. Strange, he thought, Brooke had never been a dog person. But he was glad that she wasn't alone in the big house. Who knows what could happen to her in LA. But it was ok because he was here now and if he could help it she would never be alone again.

"Hush David," a voice from within chastised. Lucas's heart sped up at that voice and moments later it pounded out of control as the door swung open to reveal Brooke. She had changed since he saw her this morning. Instead of the stiff skirt, stylish shirt, and four inch heels, with her hair in a severe bun she was now wearing sweats and bare feet. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. And yet to Lucas she looked beautiful as always. "Lucas," she said breathlessly. "Hey. I…"

"Brooke the last time I saw you I told you that I loved you. I think I always had. I loved the way that you rolled your eyes at my stupid jokes but laughed all the same. I loved the way when you messed up you'd stick out your chin as if to say 'so what'. And I know that we haven't spoken in a while but my feelings for you haven't changed. This afternoon when I saw you I felt them all over again. And for some reason I got this feeling in my stomach that told me you felt the same way." Lucas smiled at her, waiting for a response.

"Lucas I…" Brooke choked, but she was cut off when someone walked up behind her.

"Who is it?" Lucas heard another voice from inside, a male voice. Moments later arms snaked their way around Brooke's waist and a man appeared behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"David this is Lucas, a friend from high school," Brooke told the man. David nodded at Lucas. Brooke turned towards Lucas, knowing what she was about to say would crush him. "Lucas this is David, my…" she swallowed hard. "My husband."