Author's Note: I won't keep you long because I know this update is way overdue. I just want to thank you for being amazing readers and reviewers and fans despite the fact that I have been terrible at updating and answering your reviews for the past couple of weeks.

I do have one more thing to say before you read this chapter, in light of the new season and lack of Brucas scene/friendship: keep the faith. I know BL will come through on the show. They just have to.

After all, didn't Mark write on the doll house at the charity game that "Faith love. Belief trumps all. See the magic in the world. Possibilities are everywhere."

Laurie

Chapter 15: Come Home

Everything I can't be
Is everything you should be
And that's why I need you here
So hear this now

Come home,
Come home,
Cause I've been waiting for you
For so long
For so long
And right now there's a war between the vanities
But all i see is you and me
The fight for you is all I've ever known
Ever known
So come home,
Come home

Brooke slid her sunglasses up in her hair as she walked into the Barnes and Noble on 83rd street. She was blinded by the bright lights of the store for a few seconds, but her eyes quickly adapted to her surroundings. She walked swiftly past the cashiers and up the escalator, all the while trying to ignore the way her heart constricted in her chest.

She sighed as she slowly made her way through the alleys. She had only come here once before; yet she remembered the bookstore with a piercing clarity. The first time she had come had been on the day Lucas' first book had been published. Victoria had already turned Brooke into a star by then. She'd been surrounded by glamour and haute couture clothes and paparazzi – the kind of person who had an assistant run an errand as trivial as buying a book. But Brooke had insisted, and just like today, she'd come in wearing big sunglasses and casual clothes, carefully concealing her rising popularity.

That day, she'd held the book close to her chest – to her heart – as she'd waited in line to pay for it. She'd had so much hope about what the book would hold. The only lines she knew were those that Lucas had read to her before they had separated in senior year… that she was brilliant, brave and beautiful. That she was going to change the world. Brooke hadn't hoped that the book would be a love declaration to her – she just wanted it to acknowledge what Lucas and her had been.

It had been months since his last visit in New York, when he'd kissed her in his hotel room. She had moved on by then, the memory carefully tucked away in the depth of her heart so she would no longer remember the taste of his lips, the feel of his hands on her skin, or the way it felt to have his eyes locked on her face. And she thought that if she read the book and heard him speak about their relationship, she would get some closure. Surely he would, once and for all, make it clear that he had moved on. And so, at last, she would finally do the same.

But nothing could have prepared her for the onslaught of pain that had ripped through her body when she'd read the book. His voice had echoed like a death sentence in her head, his voice reading the words that had broken her heart when she had first read them.

But in that moment, my triumph was not a state championship, but simple clarity: I was now and would always be in love with Peyton Sawyer.

She was reduced to a few pages of the fourth chapter. It was as if their love never existed, never mattered, never meant anything to him. The way he once felt about her was a mere paragraph. How could he? She was so upset when she had first read the book. She had to stop halfway because each new word felt like another dagger plunged in her heart. She was so mad, hurt and upset. And that's when it had finally hit her. She had to face the truth once and for all, and it wasn't easy.

Peyton was the one for him. She was his destiny, the girl of his dreams. They were meant for each other. If she had tried to ignore it before, she could no longer run from it then. It was right in front of her, printed in black, cruel letters. Lucas loved Peyton. Brooke had merely been a stop on his way to her.

And as she kept walking through the alleys, lost in the past, Brooke realized that the pain she had felt on that day would probably never fade.

Today, she was here for the same boy, a new book… and, she hoped, a different pain. Part of her expected to see her best friend's face dance in her eyes as she read the book, but another part of her wished for a better outcome, so fervently that she was surprised by the force of her hope. She couldn't remember ever letting it grow so strong.

Finally, Brooke came to a stop when she found what she had been looking for.

The Comet by Lucas Scott.

She carefully took the book in her hands. She had left in such a hurry a few weeks earlier that she'd left the copy he had given her home. But she'd been gone for over two weeks now, she'd had time to process her feelings and to learn how to live with them…. and this morning, she had woken up with an irrepressible urge to read his book. To know.

And so here she was now. She headed back downstairs and paid for the book before walking up the small flight of stairs that took her to the Starbucks café. Brooke glanced around as she waited for her tall Caramel Frappucino. People were sitting at the small tables, some reading, others talking while sipping a hot drink, others surfing the internet on their computer. As she sat down among them with her coffee, she wished she could feel as nonchalant about being here as them.

She opened the book carefully, as if it were a ticking bomb about to explode. It was what it felt like in her heart.

She flipped through the first pages and stopped at the dedication again, her eyes dancing on the almost-blank page. All she found there were the words in print, talking about lost souls and the immensity of love.

And that's when it hit her, as if she had just awakened from a deep, long sleep.

She stared at the page, void of his handwriting and the words he had written for her – void of his feelings for her – and it was only then that she understood. Her life for the past two weeks, miles away from him, was as empty as this page without his words scribbled on it. There was a part of her – she wasn't sure she could handle knowing how big it was – that was empty without him. She had run because she couldn't deal with her feelings for him… but there was a truth that overpowered her fear of getting hurt again. She missed him. She ached for him, deep down in her heart, in her very bones.

And it was then that she realized that it was time for her to stop running. She wanted to come home. She wanted to come home to him.

--

"How do you feel?"

Lucas turned to face Nathan as his brother entered the gym. Today was Lucas' first day of practice; the day he finally started coaching again. And he would have been tremendously excited to get that part of his life back, if it hadn't been for the fact that the most vital part of his life was currently missing.

"Nervous," Lucas answered.

"You'll be fine. Everyone is excited to have you back."

"Thanks, man."

Nathan threw him the basket ball in response. "You up for a one on one, big brother?"

"That depends. You ready to get your ass kicked, little brother?"

"Ah, you wish!"

And just like that, they were playing again. By the time Haley came in with Jamie, Lucas and Nathan both had won one game each.

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie all but shouted as he ran to them.

"J. Luke!"

Lucas swept him off the ground and carefully placed him on his shoulders. He gave him the ball as Nathan went up to kiss Haley. "Wanna shoot some ball, Jamie?"

"Yeah!"

When Jamie and him were done, they walked over to the bleachers where Nathan and Haley were sitting, holding hands. "Momma! I won!"

"Course you did," she said, proudly. "Your uncle Luke has got nothing you!"

"Gee, thanks for the support Hales," Lucas snapped, still trying to catch his breath.

Haley and Nathan laughed as Lucas sat down besides them. "You still coming over for dinner tonight, Lucas?"

"Is Peyton still coming?"

"Come on, Luke, give her a break. It's been weeks."

"Yes. It's been weeks Brooke left," he answered pointedly.

Nathan was about to protest but his son spoke instead. "Is that why you're mad at Peyton, Uncle Lucas? Because Aunt Brooke left?"

Lucas couldn't help but smile as his nephew spoke and he felt his anger subside for a moment. "Kind of, buddy. It's complicated."

"Everybody says that!" Jamie answered, clearly upset to be left out of the conversation. "But I think you and Aunt Brooke love each other! You shouldn't be mad at Peyton, she loves Brooke too!" he said, proud of his announcement.

Both Nathan and Haley burst into laugh at their son's genuine concern for Lucas. The way he saw the world at his age was so simple, so devoid of any deceit and second thoughts that he'd seen through Brooke and Lucas' relationship with astonishing clarity.

"Okay," Lucas said, getting up, ignoring his nephew's remark. "Practice's about to begin, so I'm gonna head to the locker room and change, alright?"

Jamie stared after his uncle as he walked away. "Is Lucas mad at me?" he asked, worried.

"No buddy," Nathan said. "He's just in love."

Jamie shook his head. "I hope I'm never in love!"

Nathan laughed quietly as he ran his hand through his son's hair. "You'll change your mind. You'll see."

--

Lucas put down his plate on the table as his friends around him talked. Everybody was at Nathan and Haley's house tonight, chatting and catching up as they ate dinner. Skills was over by the couch playing Wii with Jamie and Fergie; Nathan and Haley were talking in the kitchen, oblivious to the rest of the world; and three more of his friends were sitting around the table, two of whom being the reason they were all gathered here tonight. Mouth, sitting at the head of the rectangular dining table, was describing his new job to Junk while Millicent was sitting to his right, looking at Jamie jump up and down in joy as he won yet another game, beating Skills for the umpteenth time that night.

Mouth and Millicent were in Tree Hill for the week-end, and Haley had immediately offered to have everybody over for dinner. It was so reminiscent of the way things used to before they had moved away, and yet as Lucas watched Millicent scan the room, he could see in her gaze that there was someone she missed – someone whose presence Lucas ached for in more ways than he could tell.

Brooke.

It had been two weeks today she had left… two excruciatingly long weeks. He had followed Haley's (and Nathan's) advice and hadn't tried to go after her, but it hadn't been easy at all. As if her sudden departure hadn't been hard enough, as if everything he had learned from her letters hadn't left him agonizing enough, he'd also had to refrain himself from going after her.

But he knew his friends were right. Brooke needed time. And whatever she needed, Lucas was willing to give it to her. Even if she came back and told him she didn't want him, he would understand. He knew now the hurt he had inflicted her, and even though he hoped fervently she would still love him in spite of it, a part of him was aware of how deluded that hope was. If she said she didn't want him, he would understand.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to fight for her.

Maybe that was the whole point. He hadn't fought before – not really, not nearly hard enough. It was going to be different this time.

Mouth called out to Millicent and she immediately turned her attention to him, pulling Lucas out of his thoughts. His eyes moved from his friends to the window overlooking Nathan and Haley's backyard, and they settled on the other person who was missing from their gathering: she'd been sitting outside by the pool for most of the night, her feet dangling in the water.

Peyton.

At first, he'd thought about not coming to the dinner altogether simply because he didn't want to see her and be reminded of all the things her actions had caused. Then he'd realized how ridiculous that idea was, if only for the fact that he hadn't seen Mouth and Millicent for months now. And looking at Peyton now, he felt ashamed for how childishly he had been acting lately, and mostly for the way he had treated her tonight when she had arrived. To say that he had given her the cold shower would be an understatement.

Was it why she'd been sitting by herself outside all night? He couldn't think of any other reason. He doubted anyone besides himself had treated her the way he had tonight. All of his friends had known for a long time what Peyton had done – to some extent, at least – and he could see no reason Peyton would avoid them… except to try and avoid him, too.

His anger seemed to subside and shrink down to a manageable level as he observed the girl he once believe to be the love of his life. She was sitting alone outside while all her friends were standing mere footsteps away. Yes, he was mad… but he hadn't meant to isolate her that way. He didn't want to be that person.

Grabbing his untouched plate of food, he stepped outside of the house and slowly made his way toward her. She briefly turned around when she heard his footsteps but turned back as quickly, expecting him to ignore the way he had for the past two weeks. She was startled when he actually came and sat down next to her. He handed her his plate as a peace offering.

"You hungry?" he asked carefully.

She glanced up, wary. She shook her head. "No, thanks."

Lucas put the plate down on the floor. She never took his eyes away from him. "Does this mean you're no longer pretending I don't exit?"

He sighed. He couldn't blame her for thinking that. Truthfully, it was exactly what he'd been doing.

"I don't know," he said.

"Then what does it mean?"

"That no matter how I feel about you, I don't want to isolate you from everyone else." His words seemed to lift some tension off of her shoulders. He went on. "You don't have to stay away from everybody just to avoid me."

She shook her head. Her lips turned up and she smiled, but he couldn't help noticing that it didn't look like she was happy at all. "I miss her too, you know. This is not… easy for me. Knowing I've hurt her, and knowing I've hurt you, too. I can't change what I did, but it doesn't change how much I care about her."

Lucas nodded. She had told him so when he had come to her house the other night, but he had been too furious back then for her words to get through to him. Tonight, he was more willing to listen.

"I know," he said. "And it was unfair for me to put all the blame on you. I've… played my part in this too. I hurt Brooke surely as much as you did, if not more. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been so… undecided."

Peyton looked at him, relief washing over her face. "Thanks, Luke. I know this isn't easy for you."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to their friends' chatter in the background. Eventually, Peyton spoke again. "You don't have to answer this," she began cautiously, "but what happened, the night Brooke left?"

Lucas debated telling Peyton the whole story or not, but then decided that if they were ever going to be friends again – although it hardly seemed possible right now – they needed to be honest with each other. Maybe this was the start.

"I've… come to realize, with everything that's happened over the past few months, that Brooke has been the one all along. That when she pushed me away in high school and I thought she didn't love me anymore, I tried to forget the way how I felt about her. But it's like she is the only thing that has ever made sense in my life. I can see that now. I tried telling her how I felt… but I guess I scared her away."

Peyton thought about what he had said for a moment, and Lucas couldn't help but notice that she didn't look surprised, or jealous, or resentful. She looked… pained. Before he could interpret her reaction any further, she spoke again. "She'll come around, Luke. She loves you. She probably doesn't want to admit it right now, but she always has." She paused. "I'm just sorry that this is what I've done – turned my best friend into someone who's running from love."

Lucas chuckled. "For what it's worth… my confession wasn't very subtle. It probably didn't help things."

"Please don't tell me you–"

"No," Lucas cut her off, sighing. He felt like this was the millionth time he'd answered this question. "I didn't propose."

Peyton laughed. "It sounds like I'm not the only person who's asked you that question."

"You have no idea!" he said, laughing along with her.

Just then, Lucas heard Mouth call them over from inside the house. He got up swiftly and held out a hand to Peyton. He wasn't sure this meant they were friends, but at least they were on speaking terms again. "Come on," he said as he helped her get up. "Let's go join everybody else."

--

Lucas fidgeted with his tie for the hundredth time of the night, and let out a deep sigh as he gave up trying to make it look better. He was more nervous than he had been in a long time. Tonight he was coaching his first Ravens basketball game in months, and it didn't help matters that he had only resumed his position the day before, or that he had spent the night thinking about Brooke instead of the game, or that he had apparently lost his ability to put on a tie properly.

He heard someone chuckle and quickly turned around. Mouth was standing by door of the locker room. "You okay, Luke?"

Truth was, he was relieved to see Mouth here. He suspected Mouth and Millicent's timing in coming down to visit wasn't unrelated to his timing in coaching the Ravens again. "Yeah, I'm just nervous."

"You'll be fine. Just try not to punch anyone, okay? You seem to being doing that a lot lately."

"You heard about Keller?"

Mouth nodded. "I'll give you this: he is a pain in the butt. But why the sudden urge to punch him?"

"Just… old issues," Lucas said, shrugging.

"Let me guess – Brooke?"

Lucas threw his hands up in the air. "Come on. Is there one person on this planet that didn't know how I felt?"

Mouth laughed as he spoke. "You!" He sat down on the bench in the middle of the lockers, and Lucas did the same.

"I wish it hadn't taken me so long. She might still be here."

"She'll come back."

"How can you know? Even I can't be sure sometimes. Maybe I hurt her too much and this is as much as she can take."

"No, I don't believe that."

Lucas stared at his friend. How could Mouth have so much faith? Even Haley or Nathan hadn't seemed as sure.

"Look, Luke, Brooke may be hurting right now, or be confused… but you two, you have the same heart. That's not something you forget easily."

"But what if she wants to forget it? What if our past is too much for her to get past?"

Mouth smiled, and Lucas frowned, not understanding his friend's reaction. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

And with those words, he got up, patted Lucas on the shoulder, and walked out of the room. Only then did Lucas turn around and see the girl standing mere yards away from him, her arms wrapped up tightly around herself, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Brooke."

He breathed her name like he breathed oxygen. He had been imagining seeing her again for weeks now, trying to remember each soft, precious line of her face. He could see now that his memory hadn't nearly done her justice.

"You're here," he said, disbelieving.

"I'm here."

She sounded scared and vulnerable, almost uncharacteristically shy… but above all, she didn't sound unsure. That thought alone sent Lucas' heart on a wild race.

"I missed you," he whispered. There was no point in denying it – he had already revealed a lot more the night she'd had left. And yet, there was so much more he had to tell her. He hoped with all his heart that she would give him a chance to say those things.

She smiled – her first real smile since she had walked into the room.

Brooke took a few, careful steps in his direction. Somewhere in the middle of their conversation – he couldn't remember when – he had gotten up. He stood still, not wanting to scare her away once more.

"About that night…"

He waited patiently for her to speak.

"I'm not sure that we, that we sh–"

He cut her off instantly. Whatever she wanted to tell him, there was something she had to know first, something that was forever going to shape their relationship. "Before you say anything… I want you to know that I'm not going to apologize for what I said. I probably should have waited longer, or tried to break the truth to you a little more gently, more subtly. But I'm not sorry I said those things, Brooke. I meant them. I always will."

She stood motionless for a long, unbearable minute. She seemed to be processing his words and their meaning carefully. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I missed you, too."

He closed his eyes at the sound of her words. It felt like coming home.

And then he allowed himself what he had been longing for for weeks now. He took the steps separating him from her and launched in his arms, no longer caring about exposing his feelings. She knew. And yet here she stood, her body slowly and yet so surely melting into his, her arms wrapping up tightly around his chest.

Lucas would have been happy to just stand there forever with her, but all of a sudden the whole team came striding in the locker room shouting, loud, excited – such a contrast to the intimacy of his embrace with Brooke.

They immediately cheered him mockingly, and as Lucas reluctantly pulled away, he told them off. Then the sound of her raspy but beautiful voice tuned their voices out. "I'm gonna go," she said.

He started panicking involuntarily. "Stay for the game," he pleaded.

She smiled. "Okay."

He couldn't help but hold on to her hand for as long as he could before she disappeared behind the doors.

She had returned to him.

And his world was whole again.

And his belief in God, and love and art was reawakened in his heart.

--

The title of this chapter comes from the beautiful song by One Republic, Come Home.

--