Author's Note: I want to start off by thanking Melissa, my lovely beta, for all of her help with this chapter. I also want to give credit where credit is due. She wrote a good portion of the dialog, and I honestly couldn't have done this without her. Thank you!

Now, if you're like me, you've been disappointed by the recent events that have occured with our beloved Brucas. Luckily for all of you, I love me some Brucas, so here you go! Enjoy the chapter, and as always, I appreciate every single review! Tell me what you like, don't like, hate, want to happen, etc. I don't mind critisism as long as you're honest with me. So, click that review button!

Take care, everyone. ---findy0urself

#6.

"You can't do what anymore?" Lucas played dumb even though he knew what was coming. Call it telepathy, call it intuition, but when he saw the look of surrender on her face, it was more than enough. She had given up fighting for him, for them.

"This, us. I can't be with you, Luke." Brooke's eyes glistened with moist tears as she spoke, letting the finality of her words sink in. She knew this was the right thing to do for both of them, but that didn't make it any easier to break his heart. Telling Lucas they were over brought an entirely new meaning to the definition of hurt—beyond devastated was more like it.

As Lucas' worst fear was confirmed his heart began to race in his chest, and an overpowering sensation of nausea passed through his body. A feeling of desperation rushed through his veins as his minded raced. He knew he had to say something, anything, to change her mind, but what? What could possibly make this situation better? What could he say or do to help her believe, without a doubt, that it would be a mistake to end their relationship?

"But I love you!" Lucas practically screamed, clinging to the hope that his love, strong and unwavering, could pull them through this. The sincerity surrounding his declaration echoed throughout the quiet hospital room. He had never said those three little words with such power, such force. It wasn't a mere statement. Being in that moment, being so close to losing his girl, his lover, he put his faith in a higher power, in love.

"And I know you love me, too," Lucas pressed on when Brooke remained quiet. Her only response was a steady stream of tears and a quiet whimper that escaped her lips as he continued to read her heart like a book. He was right. She did love him, but she wouldn't let him know that. She couldn't, not after what had happened. Maybe she was being stubborn, but she knew confirming his claims would only complicate the situation further. She needed a good clean break, or as clean as it could be, for she knew that would never be entirely possible. Brooke knew losing Lucas would undeniably equate to lose a part of herself—her heart.

Sitting there listening to him proclaim his love for her, she heard something in his voice she had never heard before, something different, a subtle reassurance, and she knew he was speaking from his heart. Brooke questioned how his feelings could be so strong, so unrelenting in that moment. He was so passionate, so true. This was the Lucas Scott she had fallen head over heals in love with. This was the Lucas Scott that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Unfortunately, this was also the Lucas Scott that had lost her trust, and she couldn't get past that.

Walking over to her bedside, Lucas sat down next to Brooke. With ease, he interlaced his fingers with hers. Brooke jumped slightly as she felt his energy through her body, an undeniable connection, surely one that would never fade. He gently brushed his thumb over hers, attempting to connect with her in any way he could. Unable to let herself witness his gesture of tenderness, she avoided all eye contact. It was too painful; too real to ignore.

"Look at me!" Lucas pleaded. He had to see her eyes. "Please?" he asked again, softer, more desperate, when she hadn't complied with his request. Slowly but surely, she turned to face him. "That's more like it, Pretty Girl," he smiled gently, feeling his throat tighten as raw emotion overwhelmed him.

Her face was wet and covered in tears, and her eyes were swollen and red. He could see the pain in her eyes, the pain he had caused. He could see her desperately pleading for him to stop hurting her. He saw the unanswered questions and the broken promises, how much and how severely she was hurt, and it was he who had unintentionally forced her to endure all that—it was heartbreaking. It was also more real than anything he had ever experienced. Unknowingly, without speaking a single word, Brooke Davis had allowed him to feel something he had never experienced before. She had pulled him right into her soul and broken his heart. His heart broke for her--for a brief moment he felt her pain, and he understood.

"I'm so sorry…" Lucas sighed heavily. He never meant to do this to her. Never meant to make her cry. Never meant to fall in love with her or break both of their hearts in the process, but he did. It was his fault, and now he would have to make this better. Somehow he would make this better.

"Thirteen times," Brooke stated plainly, finally breaking her silence.

"What?" Lucas asked puzzled.

"You left me to be with Peyton thirteen times since we've been together this year," was all she said.

Taken aback by her avowal, Lucas paused. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, but he didn't know what the right thing to say was. I'm sorry? I don't love her, I love you? It didn't mean anything? You're the only one for me, and all of those times with Peyton were a mistake? All of those options were fine, maybe even great, but he didn't want fine or great. He wanted honesty. He wanted to make this right with them.

"... I can't take back what happened, but I want to make this better, starting with being honest with you..." Lucas stopped momentarily, clearing his throat. "Brooke, Peyton told me she still has feelings for me, and—"

"You're running away together" Brooke snapped.

Normally, Lucas might've been taken offense from Brooke's comment, but he knew how badly she was hurting. She felt betrayed and alone and she was protecting herself by feeling anger instead of hurt. Lucas took the time to take a deep breath and think about how he was going to respond. He couldn't risk making things worse.

Looking her square in the eyes, Lucas began yet another one of his infamous speeches. "I told her I love you, and there is absolutely nothing she could do or say that would ever change that. I told her there was no way she and I could ever be together because I wouldn't betray you like that again. I couldn't risk losing you because you're my heart, Brooke."

"It's a little late for apologies, Luke." Even though Brooke knew he was sorry for what had happened with him and Peyton, it didn't make it any easier to look at him and not feel betrayed. He still had a choice. He didn't have to save Peyton. He didn't have to rescue her time after time, but he did, and now it was too late to ask for forgiveness. She didn't have it in her to forgive and forget—not yet, maybe not ever.

"Why can't you ever save me. Why Peyton? Why is it always her? Why can't you ever take my side, Lucas? If you loved me you would've. You would've even if you didn't understand." Brooke had broken down for a moment and she was overwhelmed with sadness, hurt and betrayal.

"You don't deserve what we did, Brooke, but you've got to understand!" Lucas was quickly becoming frantic. She was slipping away right before his eyes, and he couldn't remember the last time he felt so helpless.

"Understand what? That my best friend is in love with my boyfriend, that my boyfriend let my best friend kiss him, or that I was the idiot that was oblivious to all of this? When are you going to stop being sympathetic to her, Lucas? Can you feel an ounce of it for me? She hurt me Lucas, in the worst possible way, and you added to it" Brooke rambled on, not giving Lucas a chance to chime in. "I thought we were stronger than all that, that we were past it. I thought we had something special…"

"We do!" he was frantic now. "We have something real. You know we do," Lucas reassured her.

"I thought we did, but now I don't think so. If we did Lucas, this wouldn't be happening. I don't deserve this Lucas, I'm sick, I'm tired, I'm done fighting and feeling sad and scared and desperate to hold on to everything that matters. I'm tired of giving more than I'm getting back, or caring for someone so much when they don't return it." Brooke stated firmly. "Obviously I don't mean as much to you, as you do to me."

"That isn't true, Brooke." He said it simply and firmly. "I was wrong to put you through this again." Lucas repeated, "I never should've ran off to Peyton all of those times, but I had no idea she was secretly harboring all of these feelings for me! It didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to her. I was just trying to do the right thing. I was just trying to be a good friend…"

"A good friend? Oh, like Peyton was my good friend? Please." Brooke scoffed. "And by the way, Lucas, the right thing would've been to stand by your girlfriend's side, support your girlfriend and show her how much you supposedly loved her. No, Peyton's feelings and Peyton's friendship came first for you, Lucas. I got the backburner. You brushed my feelings off Luke, you brushed me off as if I was overreacting, as if my feelings meant nothing, and that poor little Peyton was so sad that she needed you and deserved you more. You're constantly overestimating my strength Lucas; don't you know my strength has always come from you? But it can't, not anymore. I can't keep feeling this way, waiting to be hurt and let down again."

"Brooke…I was wrong…but I love you. Can't you see I understand now? I never would've…had I known—"

Brooke interrupted. "That's not the point Lucas. You're always supposed to be by my side, and you haven't been."

Lucas argued back. "She hasn't been a good friend to you, and neither have I, but I just found out about all of this. I'm still trying to process all of this myself! You've got to believe me!" Lucas begged. "I love you. I don't love her Brooke, and I know I was wrong. I know that now."

Brooke simply shook her head disapprovingly. "You knew, Lucas. You must've known, before."

"Honestly, I didn't! When she told me how she felt, my first reaction was disbelief! I couldn't believe that she would jeopardize your friendship! I can't lose you again, Brooke. I know how much we hurt you last time, and I couldn't process why she would risk losing your friendship. I can't speak for her, but I would never ever do that again. I wouldn't hurt you intentionally."

"Yeah, well, look at how well that brilliant plan turned out." Brooke rolled her eyes, her words dripping with sarcasm, but only for a moment. "It doesn't hurt all the same, Lucas. This time it hurts more. It's the worst kind of pain. The first time this happened I was hurt, now I'm disappointed and hurt, and because of you; you're not supposed to make me feel that, of all people, Lucas, even when Peyton failed me, I wasn't supposed to feel this because of you."

"I know. I know. I'm hurt, too." Lucas answered honestly.

"Don't even try to turn this around and—" Brooke interjected quickly.

"I'm NOT!" Lucas shouted back. Quietly, he added, "I'm trying to tell you how I'm hurt, too. I hurt the girl I'm in love with. I'm hurt, knowing I had the ability and that I did that to you…"

"No, Luke. You can't equate what you're feeling to what I'm feeling. You haven't been crying yourself to sleep. You haven't been wondering where you went wrong, putting all your faith, your heart into someone who didn't understand what it meant, who treated it so frivolously. You haven't been asking yourself why you're being punished. You haven't been feeling abandoned, alone and scared, like your world is being torn down by the people who were supposed to make it better. You haven't been betrayed by the only two people who meant something." Brooke stopped, in an attempt to compose herself, even though it was a lost cause.

"Brooke…" Lucas put his arms around her, trying to console her as she cried. She didn't stop him from holding her. As strong as Brooke was trying to be, emotionally, she was a wreck and even though she was angry, his touch never repulsed her. He was still able to comfort her, even then. Letting her guard down, Lucas felt her shoulders drop. Rubbing her back softly, he kept repeating "its okay" over and over again.

"No, it's not okay," Brooke sniffled as she broke away from his embrace.

"There's something I have to tell you."

"What?" Lucas froze. He had no idea what was coming.

"I'm pregnant." Brooke replied, in a half sigh half whisper, and awaited his reaction. Saying those words out loud suddenly made her feel sick to her stomach. She couldn't believe she was in this position.

"You are?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was going to be a dad?

Brooke only nodded, confirming the news.

Running his hands through his hair, Lucas stood up and paced around the room for a few seconds. "How did this happen?" Lucas asked. Brooke only gave him an I-think-you-know look. "Well, I know how it happened," laughing slightly he continued, "but I thought you were on birth control?"

"I was, but I guess we got lucky, literally." Brooke attempted to make light of the situation, but the tone in her voice didn't match up. He was taking this a lot better than she thought he would. She felt slight relief at no longer carrying this burden of knowledge alone.

"Birth control isn't 100 effective." A voice interrupted their conversation. "Hi, I'm Dr. Prakash. You must be Miss Davis?"

"Yes." Brooke answered, starting to worry. Why was she here and was something wrong with her? Or the baby? The possibilities were endless and Brooke couldn't take the suspense. She began to remember why she hated hospitals.

"Are you family?" Dr. Prakash directed her question at Lucas.

"Uh…well, no." Lucas spattered. He wasn't sure what they were at this point, and he wasn't about to say that she was his baby's mama.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I need to discuss a few things with Miss Davis. You can wait outside or in the waiting room. I'll come get you when we're finished talking." The doctor suggested bluntly.

"It's okay," Brooke explained, "he's the father."