Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Too Bad

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Four: From Time to Time

"Logan! Come here!" Brooke yelled down the hall. Soon enough the pitter patter of little feet raced down the hallway towards her.

"Hey, we're going to go see Luke at his work. I need you to go get dressed and find your shoes, okay?"

"Okay, mama." Logan said before racing back down the hall.

It had been a week since the breakfast incident and life had changed in the Scott house. Logan wasn't scared of Luke anymore. Brooke felt like it was the old days, like she hadn't just got out of an abusive relationship.

Today was the day, Brooke had decided, that she was going out. She had been outside of the house before, of course, but she hadn't revisited any places from her past yet. Today that was going to change. Brooke Davis was going back to Tree Hill High.

Luke was walking on a cloud. Life with Brooke and the babies was perfect, or as perfect as life could possibly be. He was in the gym of Tree Hill High, watching as the teenagers ran suicides down the length of the court when Brooke and the kids got there. They entered through the door at the far end of the gym, Logan and Brennan racing ahead of Brooke and the twins. Logan reached him first and jumped into his arms with a childish shout. Brennan got to them moments later and attached himself to Luke's legs. All the boys on the basketball team had stopped running to stand and stare at the spectacle.

Brooke and the twins were the last to reach him. When he got to him she handed him Bryce and leaned in for a kiss. He happily obliged. They had shared a number of small kisses occasionally over the past few days, but this was by far the most serious. Being back in the high school brought out the teenagers they used to be.

Hoots and hollers came from the court. Every eye was on them as they kissed. Soon enough they parted and smiled bashfully. This only intensified the teenager's cat calls.

"Oh, Coach Scott's got himself a secret family!"

"Where you been hiding the little ones Scott?"

"Damn boy, why is a girl like that with a dude like you?"

"Enough, get back to the suicides and leave us alone" Lucas told the boys with a smile. Luke looked down at the woman next to him. She had already come so far.

"Hey, I'm glad to see you." He told her. "I'm glad to see you guys too" he said as he bounced Logan in his arms and ruffled Brennan's hair. Both children laughed.

"Well we all wanted to see where you work. Being back here is something else you know. It's so different, and yet I still feel like I'm going to be late for 3rd period." Brooke laughed.

"I know what you mean. I still have to stop myself from calling my coworkers Mr. and Mrs."

Brooke laughed again and Lucas never wanted her to stop. She had been through so much; she deserved to have a life full of laughter.

Luke set Logan down on her feet. "I'll be right back. I have to go get something." He said leaving a puzzled Brooke behind.

He returned carrying a Little Tykes basketball hoop and a mesh bag full of child sized basketballs. "Nate and I bought this for Jamie to play with when he visits me or Haley" he explained as he set it down in front of Brennan and Logan. Brooke's heart twinged at the mention of Jamie, her godson, and Naley, her friends. She hadn't seen any of them in years. Jamie wouldn't even know who she was.

"She's here you know, Haley that is. She teaches English I can show you the way to her classroom if you want to see her."

Brooke thought about it for a minute. She wasn't sure that she wanted to see Haley, but she couldn't imagine being this close to one of her friends and not stopping by to say 'hi'. Not after all these years.

"Isn't she in class?" Brooke asked.

"Class change is in 15 minutes, and I think she has lunch after that so I'm sure she has time. Besides, you're Brooke; she'd stop in the middle of class to talk to you. I'm not sure you realize how much you were missed. I can stay here with the kids if you want to do this alone."

Brooke smiled gratefully. It wasn't that she didn't want Luke there, but there were certain things that one has to do alone. This was one of those things.

"Thanks. Are you guys okay with that?" She asked Brennan and Logan. Both children were busy trying to open the bag of basketballs. They looked up from their endeavor to nod. She passed the twins to Luke who took them expertly into his arms.

"She's in room 237, it's Murphey's old classroom, you remember it?" Brooke nodded and left with a wave to her children.

"Tommy, come here for a sec." Luke called one of his players over. The sophomore jogged over and was soon standing in front of him. "Hey, would you mind running to my office and grabbing the blanket off the back of one of the chairs? You'll see it when you get in there. I need it for the babies."

Tommy nodded and with a "yes coach" he was off and running.

When he got back Luke had him spread the blanket out on the gym floor. It wasn't the best place to lay the babies, but he needed to have them out in the gym with him, and he didn't have a play pin hidden away anywhere to stash them in. He made sure the blanket was far away from the edge of the court and from the Little Tykes basketball hoop before laying the two, four month olds down on it.

"Luke, will you open 'dis for us?" Logan called over her shoulder.

"Sure kiddo" He said before opening the bag for her and Brennan. The kids dug into the bag and pulled out one basketball each and started throwing them at the hoop. Luke smiled and wished he had a camera to take a picture of them. Next time, he thought.

He turned back to the court to check the progress of the team.

"Alright boys, that's enough of that. Grab a ball and start doing layup drills. I want 25 in a row, each before we move onto the next thing." Luke shouted in his coach voice.

Liam started to cry at the change in noise level and Luke hurried over to pick the baby up before he set off his twin.

Alas it wasn't meant to be, Bryce started to cry almost immediately after his brother. Luke picked up one baby and then the other. Just as he got Liam into his arms, Brennan started to cry. He turned and saw the one year old on the floor rubbing his head.

"Logan, what happened?" Luke asked.

"Da ball 'it 'em" Logan said meekly hiding her face. Luke tried to transfer Liam over to his other arm, the one already occupied by Bryce so he could pick up Brennan, when Tommy ran over.

"Coach, give one of the babies to me so you can fix this one up." Tommy offered holding his hands out for one of the twins. Luke smiled gratefully and handed him Bryce, the twin more likely to go to a stranger. After making sure Bryce was okay with someone he didn't know, Luke bent to pick up Brennan.

As Luke tried to comfort Brennan he sent out a silent prayer that Brooke's day was going easier than his.