Author's note: It's nothing new, but you guys are amazing. Every time I let myself start to lose faith due to the lack of BL interaction this year, one of you takes the time to send me a message and ask about the fic, and all of a sudden the muse kicks in again.

So this is dedicated to all of you BL fans out there. I still believe. It's all I do.

Laurie

PS: I actually wrote this chapter a few weeks back, before Quentin even died on the show… so any similarities between what happened recently on the show and this chapter (you'll see what I mean) are once more pure coincidence. The reason it took me so long to post it was that I kept editing it and I was never happy with it. Until tonight.

PS2: A lot of you asked how many more chapters there would be. I'm not sure yet, but I can say for sure there'll be at least 2 more. Maybe 4 :-)

Chapter 16: See The Sun

If I feel this feeling
If I let myself go deep again
Will you stay by my side, yeah
Cause when I feel this feeling
Things won't ever be the same again
If planets collide
I won't mind, no I'll be fine

Brooke only went as far as the next hallway before she had to stop in her tracks. With her back bent and her hands on her hips, she took a long, deep breath. Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest she had a hard time taking in any of her surroundings. The intensity with which Lucas had held her was knitting a web around her heart.

She'd thought about what she was going to tell him over and over again on her way to Tree Hill – when she had packed in a hurry, when she had said goodbye to Rachel, in the cab on her way to La Guardia, and later on the plane – but all her well-thought words had gone out the window when her eyes had met his.

And she'd known that everything was going to be different from there on. With a simple gesture, when she had let him hold her in his arms, she had let him in. It didn't mean that all was forgiven or forgotten, but she'd let his piercing eyes and heartfelt words slip into the cracks of her heart. There was no going back from that.

The scary part was that she wasn't sure she wanted to go back. She needed him too much. It was what had prompted her sudden return, and it was what kept her here, what gave her the courage to keep walking towards the gym. She didn't hesitate before she walked in; she wasn't backing out now.

The gym was packed with high school students and teenagers, and Brooke smiled as she watched the cheerleading squad perform their routine. She had a hard time believing she'd been in their place mere years ago. And yet Lucas made her feel like she was a teenager all over again.

She was trying to make her way through the crowd when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around and was greeted by the sight of Nathan, wearing a dark blue Ravens t-shirt, no doubt coaching the team tonight.

"Brooke! You're back!"

She smiled, happy to see him, and stepped in for a hug. "In the flesh!"

"How are you?"

"Really good," she answered as she pulled back. She wasn't sure good was the right word, but she doubted she could find one anyway.

Nathan observed her, trying to figure out if her enthusiasm was as real as she'd made it sound. He seemed convinced. "It's good to see you," he told her. "And I know someone else who's dying to know you're back."

"Lucas knows I'm here," Brooke said, and a shiver ran through her body. Saying his name, and all the while acknowledging what was happening between them, thrilled her more than she wished it did. Her heart was getting carried away. "I just talked to him."

Nathan smiled victoriously. "Brooke – you have no idea the favor you just did this team."

She laughed. "Okay Scott, glad to be of service. Is Haley around here?"

He motioned to a row in the bleachers. "She's sitting over there with Jamie. He's going to be really excited that you're back."

She smiled as she walked away. "Good luck!" she told Nathan.

When Brooke finally reached Haley and Jamie, her nephew literally jumped in her arms. "Aunt Brooke!" he shouted. "I knew you'd be back!"

She hugged him tightly before putting him down on the ground. "Ooh I missed you, buddy! How are you?"

"Great!" Jamie told her with a big smile. "I have a favor to ask."

"Whatever you want!"

"Can you make Chester a jersey just like the one Grandpa Dan gave me?"

"I would love to!"

Brooke laughed as she ran her hand through his sandy hair and finally walked over to his mother. Haley immediately took her in her arms.

"It's so good to see you," Haley told her.

"You too, Tutor Mom."

"Are you okay?"

Brooke smiled. "Yes. I'm perfect."

She meant it, and she knew Haley could see it too. Maybe it was what prompted Haley not to ask about what had led to her absence – although she was sure Lucas had filled her in – but Brooke loved her friend all the more for it.

"Where's Mouth?" she asked. She'd seen him in the locker room before talking to Lucas, and he had quickly hugged her on his way out, but she couldn't wait to actually see him.

"He went to get something to eat with Millicent. They should be back soon."

"Millie is here too?"

Haley nodded and Brooke almost jumped up and in down in joy. Tonight almost seemed too good to be true. She looked around her and saw Skills, Junk and Fergie talking, and Nathan arguing with Quentin on the side bench. But one person was missing.

"Is Peyton on her way?"

Haley's smile fell immediately, along with Brooke's heart in her chest. She almost closed her eyes in pain as she heard Haley ask, "Have you talked to Luke?"

Brooke shook her head up and down in a daze. "I just said hi. We didn't really get a chance to talk."

"It's better if he tells you," Haley said.

Brooke silently cursed herself. She had gotten carried away – well, she had let herself get carried away – and now she was paying for it. Of course, Peyton wasn't okay with Lucas and her having any kind of romantic connection. How could she have thought even for a minute that it would be okay?

Remembering that Haley was standing next to her, Brooke attempted to pull herself together. Jamie saved her by capturing Haley's attention, and she took that chance to compose herself. She could do this. She had done it before. She was a pro at it.

By the time Haley turned back to Brooke, she looked as if nothing had bothered her at all. "We're all going out to Level 5 after the game, are you joining us?"

"Sure."

The first half of the game passed in a blur. Between catching up with Mouth and Millicent who'd come back and sat down next to her, cheering for the team, and trying to avoid Lucas' stare whenever his eyes locked with hers – which occurred frequently – she didn't realize it was half-time before everybody actually started moving around her.

She grabbed her chance to run to the bathroom, and the break was almost over by the time she came back. She took her seat next to Millicent, but it wasn't long after they had started to chat that the whole gym fell silent. Lucas' voice blasted through the speakers, calling for everybody's attention.

"Could I have your attention everybody? I promise I won't be long. Huh, my name is Lucas Scott, and I'm the head coach of the Ravens Basketball team."

At his words, the whole crowd exploded in cheers. It took Brooke a while to realize that Lucas was actually standing right in the center of the gym.

"There is something that I need to tell one person here tonight, and I'm hoping that this will be loud enough for her to believe me."

Brooke's heart rate picked up and she barely registered Millicent speaking to her. Between Lucas' voice and her heart pounding in her chest, nothing stood a chance.

Then Lucas turned to her, even though Brooke was standing amidst hundreds of people in the bleachers, she felt like he could see no one but her.

"I'm the guy for you, Brooke Davis." He stopped and smiled, and a shiver shook Brooke. "I've been denying it for a long time, but my heart… my heart has always known. It was inevitable for me to realize it."

Everyone awed in the audience, but all Brooke could hear were his words filling up her heart.

"I'm the guy for you, Brooke Davis. You'll see."

And just like that, the players pushed Lucas out of the way and the game resumed. Brooke remained frozen, unable to move. Lucas had knocked the breath out of her, just like he had years ago, on that beach.

What was it that people said – the more things changed, the more they stayed the same?

Brooke felt Millicent gently shake her arm and she finally tore her eyes away from the court.

"Brooke, are you okay?"

Was she?

Would she ever be?

The truth was simple, really. She ached to be with Lucas again. And it seemed that, at last, Lucas wanted her back. She couldn't mistake the fire that had burned in his eyes when he'd told her he was the guy for her. Even standing yards away, she couldn't ignore it.

But she knew better. He would move on soon enough. He would go back to Peyton. He always did. Today she'd been foolish enough to believe that maybe this time would be different. Then Haley had told her that Peyton wasn't here and that she should talk about it with Lucas, and Brooke had understood.

Peyton still loved Lucas. Of course she did. That was inevitable, too. She had been stupid to think it could be any other way.

And even though Brooke knew what she had to do next, it didn't make the prospect of letting Lucas go once more any easier.

--

The rest of the game was pure torture. Brooke was torn between the urge to go and find Peyton to set things straight right away, and the ache she felt at the thought of putting her feelings for Lucas away again. She was fairly sure it wouldn't be as easy now as it had been years ago. And back then, it'd already hurt like hell.

As soon as the loud buzz signaled the end of the game, Brooke pulled Haley aside. "I'm going to go," she told her.

"You're not coming tonight?"

"Yes, but I need to do something beforehand. I'll call you when I'm on my way to downtown, okay?"

"Are you sure everything's alright? You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine, Hales." At least, she hoped she would. "I'll call you later, okay?"

With these last words, she walked away from her friends, careful not to run into anyone on her way out. Then, at last, she pulled up in front of her house. She saw Peyton's car in the driveway and took a deep breath.

She could do this.

She could do this.

She had to.

"Peyton?"

She called out for her best friend as she walked in the house. Nobody answered, so Brooke kept looking. Peyton wasn't in her bedroom, or anywhere on the second floor.

Bracing herself for what was about to come, Brooke walked up the stairs leading to the rooftop. She found Peyton sitting in an armchair, looking out at the bay surrounding her. The view was gorgeous at this time of the day; the setting sun gave the water a thousand different shades of color.

"Hi best friend!"

Peyton sat up at the sound of her voice, and before Brooke knew what was happening, Peyton all but jumped on her.

"You're okay!" she said frantically.

"Of course I am!" Brooke said. She pulled back and looked at Peyton. "But you don't look okay."

Peyton shook her head. "I was worried about you," she told her. "I thought you weren't going to come back."

"What, and give up this view? Not for all the money in the world. Which, incidentally, I already have," Brooke said, laughing.

Peyton laughed along with her as they both sat down.

"We need to talk," Brooke began tentatively.

"Have you talked to Lucas?"

Brooke's hear constricted in her chest. Just hearing Peyton speak his name was more difficult than what she'd prepared herself for. She nodded. "We didn't get too much time, but–"

"Brooke, you have to know that I never meant to hurt you. I can't tell you how–"

Brooke cut her off. "It's okay," she said. "Really."

"How can you say that? It's not okay!" Peyton said, on the verge of tears again.

"Peyton, listen to me." She leaned in and took Peyton's hand in hers. It was a way to remind herself why she was doing this. "I'm not going to stand in your way, okay? I know how you feel, and it's okay. Lucas is yours. He has always been. I'm not trying to change that. Nothing can change that."

Peyton's eyebrows furrowed. "You think I'm still in love with Lucas?"

Brooke nodded. "It's okay, P. Sawyer."

"No, no, Brooke. I'm not."

Peyton looked so sincere that Brooke almost let herself believe it. "Then why weren't you at the game?"

"Lucas hasn't told you yet, has he?"

"Told me what?"

Peyton got up and walked over to the railing. "I think you should let him explain." She knew it was selfish for her to tell Brooke that. It meant putting off their talk, and pretending that everything was alright between them for a little while longer. But beyond her own self-centered desire, she also knew this was a conversation Brooke needed to have with Lucas first.

"Peyton, what the hell is going on?"

Peyton smiled. "He loves you, Brooke. He always has." She was mirroring Brooke's words, but she thought they sounded so true now.

Brooke stared at Peyton in disbelief. Had the world been turned upside down while she'd been gone? Peyton looked like she really believed what she had said. She looked happy about the truth her words implied.

"Peyton…"

She struggled for words but couldn't find her voice. Was this really happening?

"Just go be happy," Peyton said, smiling. Brooke couldn't help but notice that she looked infinitely better than she had mere minutes ago. "Go find him."

At last, Brooke spoke. "I am not going anywhere. We, however, are going out to Level 5 tonight to celebrate the Ravens' victory!"

She'd chosen to avoid the topic altogether for the time being – she wasn't sure she would be able to voice her feelings even if she tried. Instead, she focused her energy on her mission for the night; she had come here to get Peyton to go out with her tonight, and she wasn't going to leave without her.

"Alright, best friend. Let's go!"

--

An hour later, Brooke and Peyton rode the small elevator taking them up to the rooftop bar, Level 5. Brooke grabbed Peyton's hand as they stepped on the floor, and together they walked through the lobby and the first room of the crowded venue. The first room had a small bar on the right and couches on the left. Brooke scanned it, but recognizing none of their friends, stepped through the French doors that led to the outdoor patio.

Peyton and her were instantly swallowed in the hundreds of people gathered around the huge bar located at the center of the patio. They slowly made their way to the right side of the bar, where they found all their friends. Peyton and Brooke joined them, and Brooke closed her eyes briefly as she felt the warm night breeze blow through her hair. She tried to let it soothe her, but as her eyes locked with Lucas', now standing mere feet away from her, she realized how feeble her attempt was. Her stomach tied into a knot as he stared back at her wordlessly, and something passed between the two of them.

Their unspoken exchange didn't go unnoticed by their friends, and although Brooke found it hard to pay attention to anything but Lucas, she vaguely registered them breaking away in small groups, leaving only her standing across from him. He took a step forward. She expected him to move closer, but instead he titled his head to the side, gesturing to the balcony with a smile. She couldn't help but smile back.

Wordlessly, she followed him. He stopped and turned around to face her when they were standing in the middle of the balcony. She was careful to keep her distance from him; she felt like she couldn't trust herself in the state she was in.

"I thought you weren't going to come," Lucas began. "I was considering coming to your house and kidnapping you."

She laughed softly as she explained her late arrival. "I just went home to get Peyton to tag along."

His brow furrowed at her best friend's name, and Brooke saw it as her chance to obtain the answers she'd been looking for all night. "Lucas, what happened with Peyton? No one will tell me anything, and I'm starting to go crazy here."

But Lucas shook his head. "Not tonight," he whispered. He slowly moved closer to her, and when she didn't stop him, he took one last step, bringing their faces mere inches apart. "We can talk later."

Brooke intended to protest, but the look on his face silenced her objection. She nodded, mesmerized. "Okay."

"God, I've missed you," he breathed. He'd already told her so earlier in the locker room, but only now did he allow the full force of his feelings to transpire into his words. His hand reached out and gently cupped her face.

Brooke closed her eyes at his touch, her face leaning into his hand instinctively. "That's why I came back," she told him.

He frowned but never let go of her face. Perhaps he knew she didn't want him to. "What do you mean?"

"I just… I needed to see you." Brooke didn't go any further, unsure as to whether or not she should reveal more, but the astonishment she saw on his face stopped her thoughts short. She barely registered him moving, and before she knew it, both his hands were cupping her face.

"Brooke," he said softly, urgently, his blue eyes warmer than she ever remembered seeing them, "I won't leave you again. I will wait for you. I will fight for you." He smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I will rescue you."

Sighing, Brooke let her head fall on his chest. Both her hands came to rest on either side of her head. She'd been trying so hard not to feel the full extent of her emotions – and she had failed miserably, of course – but with those few words and everything that they implied, she gave up.

She gave in.

Lucas buried his head in Brooke's hair. His arms wrapped around her waist, and Brooke was acutely aware of every inch where their bodies were touching. She could feel his warm breath in her hair, and his heart beating frenziedly in his chest, very much like hers.

She lost track of how long they remained still, leaning against one another. Eventually, Brooke moved and looked up into his eyes. She could see the lights of Tree Hill's riverfront from where she was, and could almost guess where the river court stood, like an anchor that had been in their lives through it all. But most of all, she could see Lucas' burning gaze and his perfect face, mere inches from hers.

Why had she fought this for so long? She knew the answer to that question, and yet as she reveled in his touch, she wondered how she could ever try to fight what Lucas and her had. It felt more right than anything else ever had.

Finally putting aside her doubts, Brooke leaned in and, with no hesitation, pressed her lips against his. She felt Lucas react instantly and tighten his hold on her. He kissed her back fiercely as she buried her hands in his hair, and Brooke sighed into their kiss.

All this time, she had been living in the dark, waiting for a light to show her the way. She wanted so desperately to come home, to feel loved and cherished, but there had been nothing but darkness and shadows surrounding her. There had been lights along the way – bright lanterns – but they had all burned out eventually. Chase, Owen – even Angie.

But now she could see again. She could see so brightly and clearly that the intensity of the light almost blinded her.

She saw Lucas, and his presence lit up her whole world.

Panting, Lucas pulled back. As he struggled to regain his breath again, he whispered two words that made Brooke's heart swell in happiness.

"Pretty girl."

--

The song I used in the title of this chapter is sung by the amazing "Black Lab"