(I know I already updated this chapter, but I accidentally missed one paragraph, it's no big deal. It was just bugging me that it wasn't there.)
Thank you, thank you for reviewing and reading my story. How great am I? I update after just a little over a week! Anyways, I'm so glad my Lucas letter was well liked, I really wasn't sure about it. I'm not going to have a Lucas letter every chapter because you may get sick of it. Well, like I said I wasn' too sure on the Karen clan coming back home, but I stuck with it and here, you have Chapter 8: Houses, Siblings, and Hearts. Please read and review!
Disclaimer: Must I say it? Fine, I don't own any of my favourite shows.
Come What May
Chapter 8: Houses, Siblings and, Hearts
Like Lucas promised, Brooke had been receiving letter from him everyday. So now, there are 7 letters added to Brooke's box of Lucas' letter. Every morning for the past week, she'd wake up and find a letter from Lucas slid in under her door. Today was no different from others. She takes the letter in her hand and brings it with her to her kitchen where her cereal waits for her.
Whilst eating she reads the letter. She smiles and Aws at the right time. She especially likes the line Lucas wrote saying, "For so long I've been telling you that I'm the guy for you, now I know I should have been tell you that you are the girl for me. I know that makes a world of difference."
Lucas's letter does help her in coming to terms that Lucas really is serious and he won't just dump her when Peyton comes back. He even said so in his 3rd letter. She remembers his exact words, "You, Brooke are stubborn. I don't know when you'll finally comprehend or let yourself embrace the fact that I want you, not Peyton. I haven't really proved that well in the past, but you'll see." She smiles, when she read that, she could feel herself slowly embracing that he wants her, not Peyton.
She gets up to put her cereal bowl in the sink and walk up to her room. There, she gets out the box with all of Lucas's letters and sets this one in front. When she puts the box up where it originally was, she sees another box. It's a relatively small box, she remembers it only has 4 letters. She remembers writing these letters and never giving it to the boy it is addressed to, because of course if she had, it wouldn't be here.
Now she finds herself contemplating on whether or not to give Lucas the letter. Deciding that he deserves it after trying hard to prove his love and getting nothing in return, he could have this letter. For her this is a big step, and she hopes he sees this, too. She puts the letter in her purse and picks up her outfit for today. She gets out a casual dress perfect for going to the airport.
Lucas should be here any second now. She told him to pick her up at 7 and of course he knew in Brooke's case that meant she'd be ready at 7:15. Sure enough he's at the door at 7:15 and she's just about to put her shoes on.
"So are you ready?" he asks.
"Yep, I got everything," she smiles looking at him.
"Let's get going then," Lucas lead her to his car and opens the door for her.
"Glad to now chivalry is making a comeback," she says as she gets in the car.
"Well, you know, I can be a knight in shining armour once in a while," Lucas turns on the engine and heads for the roads.
"Are you nervous?"
"Nah, I'm excited. I haven't seen my mom, Andy and Lily in months."
"Oh I can't wait to see them!" Brooke claps her hands together.
"God, I love you."
"You are weird."
"What?"
"I clap my hands like a little girl and you tell me you love me."
"You're weird," he retorts, "You clap your hands like a little girl."
"You love me anyway."
An hour more of their banters and they are at the airport. On the way, Brooke insisted on buying flowers for Karen, Andy and Lily. Brooke especially bought Lily a Lily with a blue ribbon to match her blue eyes.
They walk in the airport and go to the designated terminal they are supposed to come out from. "Lucas, are you sure it's Terminal 2? Why aren't they here yet?"
"Because I scheduled us to leave half an hour earlier," Lucas answers.
"So you are telling me I could have slept in half an hour earlier?" Brooke asks in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Mean."
"You love me anyways."
. . . . .
"Ma, is Lucas getting married again?" Lily asks as they make their way to the terminal.
"Why do you ask that honey?" Karen asks back.
"Because the last time we went to Tree Hill he was getting married to Linny," Karen and Andy couldn't help but laugh at Lily's innocence.
"Honey, her name is Lindsey and no, Lucas isn't getting married," Andy tells Lily.
"Then why are we going back to Tree Hill, daddy?" Lily, since she could talk, called Andy daddy, Karen tells her stories about Keith once in a while telling her that he's her father, too.
"Because Lily, that is where your mama grew up, and that's where Lucas grew up, too. We want you to grow up there as well."
"Will Aunt Brooke still send me pretty clothes?" she turns to her mother. Every month—no matter how hard Karen insists—Brooke sends Lily clothes she made herself.
"Yeah, and maybe you could ask her if you could make the clothes, too."
"Okay!" Lily says excitedly. Andy carries Lily on his arm, afraid she'll get lost in the crowd. "I see Lucas, mommy! Oh! And Aunt Brooke is there, too!"
Karen looks up and sure enough, there's Brooke with Lucas. She runs, leaving Andy and Lily behind, she missed seeing the two together too much. She ran up to Brooke which surprised Brooke. "Brooke! I didn't know you'd be coming, too," Karen said still hugging Brooke.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Brooke said when they finally pulled out from the hug. It didn't matter anymore to Brooke that her own mother wouldn't hug her like that or…at all.
Lucas loved to see his mother and Brooke get along so well. Brooke deserved to have a good mother figure in her life, and since her own mother couldn't do that, he could share his mother. "It's nice to see you, too mom," he says getting his mother's attention.
"Oh, sorry, it's just I didn't know Brooke was coming. I missed you, my boy!" she envelopes Lucas in a hug.
Andy and Lily have finally caught up with Karen and when Lily is close enough she runs to Brooke as well, leaving Andy with all the luggage.
Lily jumps into Brookes arm and Brooke is just in time to catch her. "Aunt Brooke, can I help you make clothes for me?" she asks just like her mother had suggested.
"Sure thing, cutie," Brooke smiles tapping Lily's nose.
"I should have known Brooke would have gotten all the attention," Lucas says jokingly.
"Lukie!" Lily says getting down on the ground and up to Lucas' arm this time.
"Lily, what did I tell you about calling me that?"
"To never call you that in public," Lily says proudly not seeing that she just broke the rule.
"Hey, Lucas," Andy greets once he's got the entire luggage Karen left behind.
"Andy! It looks like you need some help with the luggage," Lucas says. The girls head for the car leaving the two men with all of the luggage.
"My girls kind of left me to be with Brooke."
"She has that effect on people," Lucas smiles looking at Brooke.
"Obviously," Andy looks pointedly at Lucas.
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"I've been here less that 5 minutes and by the way you look at her, I know she's affected you."
"Is it that obvious?"
"That you are in love with her? Oh yeah."
"Want to tell her that? She doesn't seem to believe me," Lucas laughs.
"She'll come around."
"Yeah," just then Brooke turns around with an impatient look on her face.
"Hurry up, boys!"
"God, I love her," Lucas says softly.
. . . . .
Once the trio have settled down and showered they head to Haley and Nathan's house for dinner.
After the usual exchange of "I haven't seen you in so long," and the, "I've missed you," they were all ready to have dinner. The 6 of them sit in the kitchen, leaving the two 5 year-olds to eat dinner in from of the TV after Haley insisted that it's only for today and today only.
"Where's Peyton?" Karen asks in the middle of dinner.
Nathan and Haley already know she had since left. The four of them, Lucas, Brooke, Nathan and Haley look at each other for a possible answer. It's Lucas who opens his mouth to speak.
"I am your mother, I can sense you are about to lie to me. I want the truth, Lucas."
Lucas sighs, "She left Tree Hill, and none of us know where she went. She just left Brooke a letter saying she needed time away from everything. She said she's sorry, but she just has to do it."
"What made her leave?" Karen still asks confused.
Again, Lucas is the one to take the reigns, after all, it was mostly because of him that she left, "We got into an argument about the book, she asked me who the comet was and I honestly told her it isn't her. I explained to her and to everyone what and who the comet symbolizes and I guess she realized that I was talking about Brooke."
"What?" all of the sudden Karen's forgot the whole Peyton debacle when she looks between Lucas and Brooke. "Are you guys together? Lucas, why didn't you tell me?"
"No, ma, we aren't. Not yet, anyway, ain't that right, Princess?" he winks at Lucas playfully.
"With that attitude, we won't be for a very long time," Brooke answers.
"Someone, please explain to me what's going on." Karen says and Andy couldn't help but agree.
"Okay, here's the 411," Haley starts since she highly doubts any of them will really explain, "After countless weeks and months, Lucas finally realizes Brooke is the one and when Peyton desperately asks Lucas who the comet is during brunch she realizes that it's Brooke. She storms out--of course not before practically Brooke a slut who only wanted Lucas for sex-- and that's the last we ever saw from her. Then Lucas here out of the blue confesses to Brooke he's in love with her, Brooke being Brooke runs away and comes here where Lucas later on comes. He tells me all of the things she wants to say to Brooke not knowing Brooke herself was here. She makes her presence known—or rather, Jamie does, but anyway. Lucas practically tells Brooke he wants to marry her, Brooke says she's not ready to be with him and she wants to know he's serious this time because let's face it, Lucas doesn't really have the best record with Brooke. And oddly enough, they've been inseparable since then. Lucas as we speak is fighting for Brooke, he sends her letters and say I love you countless of times."
"Wow," Karen says.
"I bet New Zealand doesn't have that much drama," Nathan chuckles.
"Yeah," Andy says in disbelief.
"I say good for Brooke," Karen smiles.
"Thanks ma!" Lucas says sarcastically.
"Well, like Haley said you don't have the best record when it comes to Brooke. I say it should be at least half a year before she takes you back."
"What?!" Lucas exclaims.
"Half a year? Really? I think hmm…maybe 3 months. These two can't live without each other. Yeah, 10 bucks they're together in 3 months," Nathan bets.
"Nah, they're too damn stubborn for their own good…or at least Brooke is. I bet about…a year maximum," Haley puts in 10 more dollars on Nathan's 10.
"I say a month tops, no one—not even themselves—can deny their chemistry. They'll be together in no time," Andy adds another 10 dollars to the pile.
"I still say 6 months," Karen adds her 10 making the pile a total of 40 dollars.
"I cannot believe you are making money out of our love life!"
"I'm thinking they're going to have sex a week before they get together," Nathan says nonchalantly.
"Nathan!" Haley hisses.
"Sorry, sometimes I don't process my thoughts before saying them."
"That's fine," Karen says, "next time, just don't talk about my son's sex life."
"Or lack there of," Nathan mumbles though knowing Lucas could still hear him.
. . . . .
"Wow, who knew Brooke could cook so well?" Andy says as the group of six join Lily and Jamie in the living room.
"Why does everybody assume I can't cook?" Brooke asks.
"Sorry," they all mumble.
They all take their place in the living room, Karen and Andy sit in the love seat with Lily in between them. Nathan and Haley are on the couch with Jamie and Chester. Then on the armchair are Lucas and Brooke, they were positioned just as they were that night in Rachel's cabin and neither of them realizes it. Brooke is seated in between Lucas legs with her back to him. They don't realize how intimate they look, how close they are to each other and how much they look like a couple. They don't realize it, but the two families in the room do.
The room is unusually quiet, each pair having their own conversation. The two kids have long fallen asleep in their parents' arms. They all know they should be catching up with each others lives, especially with Karen and Andy, but they don't. They instead catch up with each other, Karen and Andy, Nathan and Haley, and Brooke and Lucas. For all of them, life has been very hectic, and what better time to catch up with each other than now?
Karen and Andy for the past week has been busy with packing and preparing for their move to Tree Hill that they hardly had a minute to have a conversation with each other. So they use this time to talk, they talked about Lily and her school, where their careers would be headed now that they're here and the living arrangements.
"We could always go back to your house," Andy suggests.
"We could but…I always wanted Brooke to move in with Lucas there," Karen shares.
"You didn't even know they were together."
"I know, but I raised a smart boy," Karen smiles looking at Lucas and Brooke lost in each other's eyes. She turns her head back to Andy, "It's just…that's where Lucas grew up, so I want his family to grow up there, too. And besides, Brooke loves that place, she spent a good amount of time in there."
"You are so sure that Brooke and Lucas will be together," Andy states.
"It may take a while before they are together, but the will be together."
"What about us? Where will we live?"
"We could look for a new house; in the meantime we could stay with Lucas. Besides, it won't be for another 6 months until they get together," Karen smirks.
Haley and Nathan also have barely had time to have a decent conversation. Nathan was busy trying to get his career back on track, practicing every morning until he afternoon, then going to he ends of the world trying to get his career back. Haley doesn't blame him one bit though. While keeping the quiet they use this time to exchange stories, Nathan tells Haley about his improvement and somehow they end up in a conversation about trying for another baby.
"Wouldn't that affect your career?" Haley asks.
"You know I would choose my family before my career any day. Unless you don't want another one then—," Nathan was cut off.
"No, no, I would love another little Scott running around the house," Haley smiles.
"A baby girl would be nice."
"I can already imagine Jamie being over protective of her," she says and they both look down at Jamie.
"He'd love to have another sibling."
"Yeah and Brooke would love another kid to spoil," this time they both look at Brooke and Lucas.
"They'd make gorgeous babies," Nathan says.
Haley laughs, "They deserve it," she says seriously.
Then there's Brooke and Lucas, though they've been inseparable for the past weeks they never really had a serious conversation, just the usual banter and playful flirting. It's mostly because Brooke would allow herself to talk about or even think about the possibility of her and Lucas. But they can both say that there's something about today, being curled up in one chair and listening to each others constant breathing that makes this moment romantic.
"I have a letter for you," Brooke says to Lucas softly sp that only Lucas could hear her yet still keeping the peace in the room.
"Really?" he smiles.
"It's from…years ago, but I figured better late than never," Brooke says coyly. She digs in her bad and gets the letter that is safely placed in there and hands it to Lucas.
"Do you mind if I read it now?" he asks, shifting the letter back and forth between his right and left hand.
"Uh…no, go ahead."
He looks at her one last time before shifting his glaze at the letter in front of him. Carefully, he tears the side of the envelope open knowing he's going to keep it in the box with the rest of her letters. He prepares himself for whatever she had to say to him years ago.
Dear Lucas,
You won. In more ways than one, you won tonight. And I know you'll take this night with you forever. You are going to pocket this day and carry it with you wherever you go. This night would be one of those nights that changed it all, everything. Not just because you won State Championship tonight, but because you won the girl you want standing next to you when all your dreams come true, Peyton Sawyer.
Peyton, too, won. She won your heart, something I've been trying to do for so long. Everyone around me won. Nathan, like you, won the state championship and he gets to go home to his wife and await their baby. Haley won, he has her love and her new love growing inside her. Rachel won, I guess, she got the guy she was flirting with in the bar for tonight.
I can say that I've never been more jealous of anything or anyone until tonight. Everyone got their happing ending…or I guess their happy beginning. I can honestly say that I wish I had what Nathan and Haley have—or going to have, a family. And I've wanted that with you. I know we're just 18, but what can I say, I'm young and in love. So are you, with my best friend. I'm sorry if I keep on saying that, I guess I'm still getting used to it. One day, I'll see you guys kissing and dropping your children off to school and I won't feel a pain in my heart.
I'm happy for you all, I really am. But is it selfish to wish that I too had won? I'm hurting my brain thinking of something that I could have possibly won tonight. Nothing. I wanted coffee from the café I was in, but they only had decaf. I wanted--no scratch that-- I want you, but I only get your friendship. That's not nearly enough. If I don't get to say that I love you to you every day and night, then it's not nearly enough.
Is it selfish to wish that when I gave you to OK to Peyton, I wanted you to say, "I want you, Brooke. When all my dreams come true I see you standing next to me." I guess that is selfish because that would have made me happy, but not you. But it doesn't help that I still wish you had chosen me. I know, I've been pushing you away, but that's only because I wanted you to push back to me and tell me to stop pushing you into Peyton because it's me you want. Maybe you've said that, but I wanted you to show it.
If you ever read this letter, which I highly doubt, don't ever hold this against me and say that this is so melodramatic. I'm allowed to be dramatic in a letter, I'm too cheery too many hours of the day. Hmm, Cheery, I guess I'll never hear you call me that again, neither will I hear you say Pretty Girl to me again. I wish…I just, I wish I could remember the last time you called me one of the two names. I'm beating myself up trying to search for it in my head. Had I know I was going to break up with you, I'd have mentally stored it in my head. But I can't for the life of me remember, maybe because you hadn't said that in a while. Now I wish I could just come up to you and ask you to call me that for one last time, but I can't.
Be happy Lucas, if you've learned anything from when we were together (because I doubt you learned never to break a girl's heart…kidding.) it's to just live in the moment, even for a little while. Be happy with Peyton, though I know you don't need me to tell you that. Of course you two will be happy. That's all I wanted for you guys, happiness. And if that means being together, and breaking my heart, then so be it.
Love—(yes, despite my many attempts to push you away, I do love you),
Brooke Davis
"Brooke," Lucas chokes out after finishing the letter. He doesn't know what to say to her. Again, he feels horrible for hurting her so much. On that day of the State Championships he did feel like he won in more ways than one. In that day he knew that Brooke is the one for him even though he chose Peyton, it doesn't make sense he knows. But being with Peyton, like he said before was that nagging thing in the back of his head and also in a way he was testing what she said previous days before that, "If there's a love so strong that no person could come between it." He wonders if it seems cruel to test such a thing, to take such a risk.
After he scored the winning basket, he turned around to face Brooke, she saw such a big smile on his face and he knew he wanted to wake up to that every morning and be the one to make her smile in such a way. But he chose Peyton hoping that if they were meant to be, they would find their way in the end. He guess, somewhere along the lines, he fell in love with Peyton and somewhere along the lines he fell out of love as well. But his love for Brooke remained constant, maybe he was just too blind to see it sometimes.
She's looking at him now, probably waiting for what he's going to say, but he doesn't know what to say. He just wraps his arms around him tightly, wanting to have done this when she wrote this letter to him.
She gladly accepts his hug, knowing he didn't know how to respond to her letter. She knows he's sorry and for him to say it again would be redundant. She rests her head on his chest and listens to his heartbeat. It's so even, thump, thump, thump, but yet it's so loud. Or maybe she was just getting too close.
"I'm scared, Luke."
"Of what, Princess?" he asks her looking at her eyes.
"Of your heart," is her answer. She lifts her head up from his chest and meets his eyes staring into hers.
Somehow he knows she's not talking about his feeling or emotions, she's literally talking about his heart, his HCM. "I'm fine," he reassures her, "I'm taking my meds and everything."
"It's just…I…," she wants to tell him she can't live without him, that she doesn't know what she'd do or where she'd be without him. She wants to tell him she needs him. At this moment, she just wants to give in. But unfortunately for him, she doesn't, instead, she just rests her head back to his chest and continues to listen to his heartbeat.
He doesn't even push her to continue her sentence, he's just content with her being so close to him. They stay like that for a while, her head on his chest and his head on top of hers. He loves the smell of her hair, it smelled of strawberry and of a baby; it actually reminds him of Angie. He guesses she used the same shampoo Angie used.
For the whole night, that's how they stayed, curled up in the chair, in each others arms. Neither of them realizes that the two families have since left. Before closing his eyes to sleep, he mumbles, "I love you, pretty girl."
He said 'Pretty Girl', maybe he meant to say Princess, but had said pretty girl instead because he was half asleep, but he said it nonetheless. This time she's going to remember him calling her that. Not because it's the last time she'll hear him say it, but because it's the first time she's heard him say it in more than five years. She's going to pocket this memory and bring it with her everywhere she goes. She will remember this night as the night that will change it all.
_____________________________
Was that lame? I have a feeling it is. Well, even so, I hope you liked it. If you did, please review!!