This story is written by brookescott134 and Brucas46Forever. We really, really hope you like this. Comments are greatly appreciated and they are what keep us encouraged to write. Remember that.
Summary: Sometimes people play hard-to-get because they need to know the other person's feelings are real, but sometimes, for some of us, we play too hard.
Rating: T
AN: Just a quick little note. Thank you all so much for all your amazingly wonderful reviews, their were so many and it just gave us both so much motivation. You guys are all seriously amazing, and we appreciate the fact that you all take the time to review for us, we love them all, and thank you all so much for taking the time to write. The story is almost to the half way point and we have the rest of the chapters BETAed so, as always, the more reviews we get the fast we UD, so please please pleas, if you like it, or even hate it, let us know! Well now that that is done. Here is Chapter Seven, hope you all enjoy! (don't forget to review!)
When Your Sun Turns Black
Chapter Seven: If We Cannot See
If we can't see now, we might
never see
We only kill ourselves more
slowly
If you can't find love, then you will
finally see
how we kill ourselves slowly
-"If We Cannot See" by Devics
Brooke was finishing packing the last of his bags while he changed in the bathroom. It had been a week and she was ready to get back to her kids.
"You ready?" she asked, zipping up his suitcase as he walked out.
"Yeah, I'm all set." She nodded and lifted his bag off the bed, beginning to walk to the door. "Brooke," he called after her as he walked to her.
She turned to face him and confusedly asked, "What is it?"
He didn't really know what he wanted to say or how he wanted to say it. After a long pause, he muttered, "Never mind."
Brooke looked at him skeptically through green eyes before nodding and turning to walk out the door.
Sighing, he followed her steps, ready to be a family with her and the kids once more.
"How are you feeling?" Brooke asked once they were in the cab headed for the airport.
"I'm alright—excited to see the kids," he told her, rubbing his hands on his thighs.
"Me too. I have never been away from them for this long. I feel so bad," she said, twirling her fingers together.
He grabbed her hand to stop her from fidgeting. When she didn't look at him he said, "Brooke, it's okay. They'll understand."
Nodding slightly, she looked out the window, not wanting to have to properly look at him. Things were still so messy with them, and in some ways, them being here, away from everything, had made her forget that; but now that they were going home, they would have to deal with everything.
"Daddy!" his little boy yelled when they arrived at their house.
"Hey," he exclaimed, smiling as he picked Landon up to hug him. "How have you been, buddy?"
"Good," Landon said shyly.
"That's good," Lucas said as he placed a kiss on his forehead.
"Daddy!" a voice yelled. "You're home!" Shelby ran up to him with open arms, begging to be held like her brother. Haley trailed behind her.
Lucas grunted when he reached down to pick her up so that he could hold both his children, yet the smile remained on his face. "Hey, Princess. I missed you."
"I missed you too, Daddy." She wrapped her arm around his neck and hugged him tight.
"Hey, Haley," he greeted as he bent down to give her a small hug.
"Hey, champ. How are you doing?"
"Still a little rusty, but I'll be better in no time."
"Hey, what about me?" Brooke said to her kids, walking in the door behind Lucas.
"Mommy!" they yelled simultaneously as they jumped down from their father's arms.
She bent down to their level to hug them both. "Oh, I've missed you guys so much."
"We missed you too, mommy," Shelby said sweetly.
Lucas smiled at the sight of his children and wife embracing each other.
"Oh, Mommy is never, ever leaving you guys again," Brooke said, shutting her eyes at the warmth they brought to her.
Landon giggled. "Mommy, you're tickling me."
She pulled away to look at him. "Oh, am I?" she asked playfully, bringing up her hands to purposely tickle his stomach.
The sound of her son's laughter echoed throughout their house.
"Hey," Nathan said as he walked into the house. "I heard you two got back today." He smiled, kissing Brooke's check when she stood up and giving Lucas a manly hug before making his way to his wife, pecking her lips softly. "How are you feeling, brother?" he asked Lucas.
"I'm good," Lucas paraphrased from his previous answer.
"How was your guys' flight?" Haley asked.
"Long," Brooke answered, leaning against the banister of their large, elegant spiral staircase instead of her husband who was right next to her.
"Yeah, it was pretty stressful. But everything is going to be better now." He sounded convinced of himself, and Brooke looked at him warily.
"Well, we will get out of your hair. It's pretty late and Peyton and Jake have all the kids so we better go save them, but you two rest and call if you need anything," Haley said.
"Okay, thanks, you guys. I don't know what we would have done without you," Brooke told them as she walked them to the door.
"That is what we are here for," Nathan said as he and his wife each gave Brooke a hug. They waved to Lucas and walked out the door, ready to go to their own homes.
Brooke shut the door and turned to her kids. "So, who wants ice cream?" Brooke asked, wide smile on her face as she watched her kids squeal, their hands shooting up into the air.
"Brooke, it is late. Shouldn't they be getting to bed?" Lucas said.
"We've been gone for a week," Brooke said.
"I just don't think ice cream is the best idea right now."
"It's fine. I want to stay up with them," Brooke retorted.
"Well, they need to go to bed."
"No, Lucas. They need to spend time with their parents . . . together for once."
"It is 9 o'clock at night," Lucas sighed. "They won't be able to get to sleep for hours."
"Maybe you just need to go to bed," Brooke said, taking her children's hands and leading them into the large, gourmet kitchen, helping them up onto the large island bar stools.
'God, why did she have to be so difficult,' he thought as he followed her into the kitchen. He knew they would all end up falling asleep everywhere, and someone would need to pick them up.
"Daddy, come eat ices creams with us!" Landon said with a huge dimpled smile as he held his spoon in the air, his large blue eyes looking to his father.
His son was able to melt his heart and he stepped next to him, opening his mouth so Landon could feed him.
Landon stuck the spoon his mouth, missing it slightly, getting a little on his father's cheek. Landon laughed and pointed. "You gotted somes on your cheek," he giggled.
Lucas laughed and wiped the cream off his face.
"Here, Daddy," Shelby said, pointing her spoon at him.
He turned to her and opened his mouth, and she fed him the ice cream a bit forcefully.
"Mm, that's some good ice cream."
"I know," the little girl smiled. She was identical to Brooke in every way—minus the big blue eyes—and it made Lucas' heart melt every time.
He turned to see what his wife was doing to find her looking through the fridge, disposing of expired materials. Walking up behind her, he placed his hands on her hips as she was bent down sideways.
Startled, she jumped back and turned around. "Lucas," she breathed, trying to gather herself. She cleared her throat before speaking again. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"Listen, I am sorry. I am just tired, and I didn't want the kids to be all wild," he justified his earlier words, bending down and kissing her neck softly.
She hadn't expected him to apologize, let alone kiss her, especially after the way she was acting with him. "It's okay. I understand."
"So we are okay?"
"No . . . but I understand," she said, shutting the fridge before walking to her children. Ruffling her son's shaggy hair, she kissed his forehead and allowed him to feed her a bite of his vanilla ice cream, leaving Lucas to stand there and process her words.
Lucas was frozen in his place. "No," she had said. No? What did she mean 'no'? He thought they had settled things, that they would be able to be a happy family again. "Wh-Brooke, what?"
"Not now, Lucas," she warned, not looking to him as she continued to be with her kids. Brooke really didn't want to do this now, considering his condition. She doesn't want to stress him, but he keeps pushing.
He has to know. "Brooke, babe, what's going on?" he asks as he reaches her.
"Lucas, seriously . . . not now," she says sternly.
"No, Brooke." It's his turn to sound angry because it's all not fair to him. She makes him feel like they were going to be happy together, and then she tells him they aren't. "What do you mean 'no'?" She doesn't answer. He asks tenaciously yet quietly, "Do you still want a divorce?"
"Lucas!" she snapped. Turning away from her children, she pulled him by the arm into the other room. "What the hell is wrong with you? The kids are sitting right there." She ushered with her arm to the kitchen.
"It's too bad you didn't think of that when you said, pretty loudly, might I add, that we weren't okay."
"Lucas, just drop it. We will talk about it later, okay?" She turned around but he grabs her arm, and it's beginning to feel like deja vu.
"No, Brooke," he mimics her earlier words. "We need to talk about this now. If you're still thinking about that divorce, then I'm telling you right here, right now, that it'll never happen. We're not getting a divorce, Brooke. Do you understand me?" He's being serious.
"We will talk about it later," she repeated stubbornly. "Now," she started, ripping her arm from his grip, "I am going to spend some time with my kids."
He's getting angry, and he hates how she keeps pulling away. "Brooke, listen to me," he demands but does his best to keep his space, not wanting to do anything he knows he would regret. She turns slowly to face him and he continues, "I am not moving out. I am not divorcing you. We're going to get this marriage back." She doesn't move, and he lets out a breath, offering a small smile and walks upstairs to rest.
Brooke finished up with the kids, helped them place their empty dishes in the sink, and then took them upstairs to get ready for bed. She watched as they brushed their teeth and dressed in their pajamas, and once she finished the usual bedtime story, she sent them in to Lucas to say good night.
"Night, daddy." Shelby smiled, climbing onto the large bed.
He put down his book and reached to take her in his arms. He kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, princess."
"Daddy?" Shelby asked, pulling away a little.
"Yes, princess?"
"Do you loves Mommy?"
The question surprises him, and not in a good way. "Of course I love Mommy," he tells her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What makes you think I don't?"
"Because," she said, looking down as she played with his white t-shirt. "You never hug her, and you makes her sad a lot and you yell at each other."
His face turns to one of compassion and understanding—because he knows what it feels like to have parents that don't love each other—but he wants his daughter to know that him and Brooke weren't like his parents. "Oh, honey, that's just what mommies and daddies do sometimes. They have small arguments, but it doesn't mean they don't love each other, okay?" She nods her small head sadly. "I love your mom very much," he repeats for her.
"I know you do, Daddy," she says in a small voice. "But Landon wanted to know." She turns her head towards the door to reveal a shy little Landon, sucking his thumb. When his father lifts his head to look at him, he puts his head down, as if embarrassed.
"Hey," Lucas calls softly to him. "Come here, buddy."
Landon walks to the bed and crawls onto his lap like Shelby has.
Shelby says, "He was asking me, and I didn't know what to tell him. So I asked you." She sounds sorry, as if she's apologizing for doing something bad.
"It's okay, sweetie," he tells her, rubbing the hair out of her face. "I understand." He turns towards Landon. "Now, why would you think I don't love Mommy?" He tries to sound playful.
"Because," Landon says in a small voice, thumb still in his mouth.
Lucas reaches over to take it out gently.
"Because you don't kiss her anymore," he says.
Lucas' heart breaks at the little boy in front of him. He lifts his head up and calls, "Brooke." She doesn't answer for a second and he calls her name again.
"Yeah?" she asks as she appears in the doorway.
"Come here for a second," he tells her.
She inspects the scene before her and looks worried. "What is it?" she asks.
"Just come here. I want to show you something."
She takes small steps towards the bed until she is standing next to Lucas and her children. "Yeah?" she asks again. "Is something wrong?"
Landon and Shelby are looking on interestedly. "Just come forward a little more."
She looks at him in confusion. "Lucas, seriously, what is it? You're scaring me."
"It's fine, Brooke," he assures her. "Just come closer."
Seeing the look on her children's face, she decides to do as he says.
He surprises her then. Untangling his left arm from around his son, he reaches it out to cup her face gently. He lifts his head and kisses her sweetly. She is too stunned to respond. He urges her to move her lips with his, if not for him then for the kids. He lines her lips with his tongue and she eventually opens her mouth for him, sighing into his lips. As they pull away from the kiss, Lucas' face is smiling. Brooke is still confused. He turns towards his son. "Was that enough kissing for you?"
Landon and Shelby break out into smiles, giggling all the while.
Brooke's face is now amused. "Hey, what's going on here?"
Lucas gives his kids a look. "Nothing," they say together, smiling still. He winks at them and Shelby giggles again, Landon's thumb returning to his mouth.
She raises an eyebrow to Lucas before smiling to her kids. "Okay, guys, time for bed. It is way past your bedtime."
"Can we sleeps with you?" Shelby asks with a smile.
"Please," Landon adds, extending the word.
"Guys," she hesitates, "Daddy doesn't feel good. He needs some sleep." She feels guilty for turning her kids away, but her and Lucas both knew that neither of them ever slept when the kids slept with them. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy it to the fullest, but she knew Lucas probably wouldn't be too thrilled with her if she agreed.
His kids look eager, as does his wife although she tries to hide it, and it breaks his heart to want to tell them that he really did need his rest. Sighing he says, "Only if you will really sleep." They nod eagerly. "Promise?"
"Yes!" they yell.
"Okay," he says, and he smiles inside at how happy they are.
"Yay!" Shelby and Logan yelled, both starting to jump up and down on the extremely large bed.
He looks to his wife, and he can clearly see the smile on her face. That, too, makes him bubble inside. He loves to see her happy, and he loves to know that it's because something he has done.
He smiled to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to him, causing her to laugh as she snuggles herself into him. He kisses her forehead softly and speaks, "You do know we aren't sleeping tonight, right?"
So? If you don't tell we can't continue. Your thoughts keep us going!