A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter made add to your questions a bit but I hope you like it anyway and I'm glad that you're all happy now that Brucas is officially together!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!!

Chapter 14 - Life Ain't Always Beautiful

Life ain't always beautiful

Sometimes it's just plain hard

Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

But the struggle make you stronger

And the changes make you wise

And happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time

"Trust me, Brooke. It's a lost cause," Nathan sighed. "I've got absolutely no shot of getting her to forgive me." Sitting side by side, Nathan and Brooke stared out at the wide field in front of them. The wooden benches were still a little damp from the night's storm though neither friend really noticed. "If you had heard all the shit she was saying last night… and not even just to me. She was basically attacking Haley for being there."

Emitting her own sigh, Brooke decided it was time to bite the bullet and tell Nathan the reason she asked him to meet her. "I'm sorry that things are so crappy with Peyton. We aren't exactly friends right now either or else I'd try to talk some sense into her about all that stuff with Haley. But your ex-girlfriend isn't exactly why I called you. I actually had something important to say." She knew without a doubt that if at least one person saw her out with Lucas, news of her new relationship would be circulating around the school by Monday morning. So she decided to say something to Nathan sooner rather than later because it would only be worse if he found out from some random person. Brooke also wanted to know whether or not he planned on messing with Lucas again.

"What is it? You aren't moving or something are you?"

"No, it's… it's not that," she smiled weakly. "Actually, you know what… before I tell you my news, there's something else I want to ask you. It's about Lucas."

"What about him?" Nathan asked tightly. Then Brooke saw his jaw clench and as she recognized the gesture, she knew it wasn't a good sign.

"Well it's been a month since his first party, Nate," she reminded, deciding not to let the inevitable anger deter her from the subject at hand. "And I was wondering if you were planning something else to do to him or if you actually decided to take my advice?"

He laughed humorlessly. Something he did when he was halfway to being angry. "Why do you care what happens to him? And tell me the truth this time, Brooke. Not that bullshit about him not deserving it," Nathan countered as he turned to face her, daring Brooke to lie to him. "Because if you asked me, I'd say you have a thing for the guy. Otherwise why would you talk to him in the halls and worry about whether or not the initiation stands? Huh?"

Shaking her head, Brooke looked out in the distance for a few moments before turning back to her dark haired friend. "That night out in the woods, you asked me if I remembered my initiation. I couldn't believe that you'd even wonder because the thing is… I can never forget it. No matter how much I want to. Because it changed me, Nathan," she bit out. "It changed you too and not for the better. Not for either of us." Looking back, Brooke wondered how different things might have turned out if she had decided not try out or if she hadn't made the varsity squad that year. "I hate what this is doing to you now. I hate that I can see Dan in your eyes whenever you talk about Lucas."

Tears had begun to form in the corners of her eyes but Brooke fought against them. She didn't want Nathan's sympathy, she wanted him to see the truth in her words.

"You're becoming someone that I don't recognize anymore," she whispered. But as sadness began to overtake her, another emotion coursed through her friend.

Angrily, Nathan stood and hurled the basketball he'd been holding and toying with since they first went out there. The sudden movement startled Brooke while the ball sailed through the air and landed somewhere in the middle of the football field. There it bounced a few times before rolling away to some unknown location. "What the hell do you want from me, Brooke!" he demanded once more, mirroring more words that he'd already yelled at Peyton as his eyes began to flash with anger. She looked over then and saw his hands balled into fists, shaking as he looked down at her.

"I want you to stop this, Nathan." She met his hard stare with one of her own. She matched the anger in his voice with frustration in hers. It built itself from a dark place inside of her until she couldn't hold it back any more than he could. "It isn't his fault that Dan was so much of a prick that he got two women pregnant at the same time! He didn't ask for this anymore than you did!" she yelled and stood up, un-intimidated by the way he still towered above her. "Damn it," Brooke cried out and pushed him with all her strength. But it wasn't enough and she tried again while she continued to yell in his face. "Look at you, Nathan! Look at you!"

Harshly, he grabbed at her hands to stop the pushes, afraid that she was going to hurt herself.

"He was obsessed with it Nathan! It was his way or no way. That was the mantra, right?" she screamed and struggled in his grasp. Nathan could feel her shaking but he was too stunned by the harshness to say anything to stop it. "And you're becoming just like him. I hated him! I hate you! I hate…I hate…" she began to sob as the weight of it all pushed down on her shoulders and her legs gave out from underneath her.

His arms wrapped around Brooke's body as she dragged him down to the floor with her. "I hate him," she continued to cry. Over and over the words formed themselves on her lips. She no longer struggled and instead buried her face in Nathan's chest as he held her. "I hate him." He knew it had stopped being about him and his father and became about something else entirely. Only Nathan never would have guessed before that the memories still haunted her. She was Brooke Davis. One of the strongest people he knew but now she was breaking apart in his embrace and he had no idea how to help her.

"I'm falling in love with him, Nate." It was a whisper so quiet that he almost didn't hear the words. But when he caught the meaning his eyes widened in surprise. "Please don't do it again. Please."

His heart beat a frantic staccato against his chest as he listened to his best friend cry, pleading with him to give up the grudge he held.

Nathan wasn't sure if he could let go but he realized that he'd have to try for the sake of his friend's sanity.

Quiet, almost as quietly as Brooke, Nathan whispered. "Okay."

-----

After her breakdown on the football field, Brooke decided that it would be best to stay home alone on Thanksgiving Day. Looking back on her conversation with Nathan, she could hardly believe she'd fallen apart in front of him. Embarrassment colored her face when she thought about all the tears and angered yelling. She couldn't believe she pushed him and knew she'd need to apologize for it later.

But Nathan hadn't criticized. He didn't make fun of her or even force the topic for an explanation.

For that, Brooke was entirely grateful.

"Hey, boyfriend. I thought you were hanging out at your Uncle Keith's today," Brooke greeted when her cell phone rang and she saw it was Lucas on the other end.

"I am but my mom left the cranberry sauce at the café so she sent me to come pick it up," Lucas explained. "And I couldn't help but wonder if maybe you changed your mind about stopping by? I know that both my mom and Keith would be glad to have you. Even if the only edible thing is this cranberry dish my mom made."

Brooke smiled in spite of her crappy mood, imagining a feast consisting of things like cornbread drenched in French dressing. "Thanks, Luke but I'm pretty used to the whole alone on a holiday thing." Larry Sawyer always made it back to Tree Hill for Christmas and Brooke had never wanted to intrude on the time he and Peyton got to spend alone together. So she always stayed home and opened the gifts her parents mailed. New Year's was usually spent in the company of drunken teenagers and she supposed that if Easter and Halloween counted as major holidays, she spent those alone too.

"Brooke, I know that we've only actually been dating for about three days now but I really do care a lot about you," Lucas quietly admitted. "If you honestly want to be alone, then I'll understand. But if it's just because you're used to it… you don't have to be. I'd love to spend the day with you."

That was the problem, Brooke thought. She didn't want to get used to being around him on the holidays because if they broke up, it would be harder to go back to spending them alone. Only she knew she couldn't tell him that. He would think she was being pessimistic or that she wasn't taking their relationship seriously. In the end, her growing feelings for Lucas and the desire to just open up and trust him won out. "How about you come pick me up?" she suggested before she could change her mind. "I mean I'll need a few minutes to get ready first but… I'd love to go."

The smile was evident in his voice as he promised to be by her house in ten minutes. Brooke nearly told him it wasn't enough time but instead figured it'd have to be.

Running up the stairs, she was mentally going through her wardrobe in the hopes of figuring out what to wear. She wasn't sure if their family gathering was the casual type or the kind you got dressed up for. I definitely should have asked, Brooke decided and began scrolling through her cell phone for his number when it began to ring in her hand. Lucas' name flashed across the screen and with a smile, she answered, "Miss me already?"

He laughed, making Brooke's smile widen. "Actually, I called to tell you that it's pretty casual. Jeans are fine so don't worry about finding something else to wear."

Blinking back surprise, Brooke could only say, "Okay, that was freaky. I was just about to call and ask you what kind of clothes I should put on."

"I know," Lucas laughed and ended the call, leaving Brooke standing with the phone in her hand and a smile on her face.

-----

The house he pulled up to was larger than any other on the block. It was also the only one in the neighborhood with a red front door. The infamous door Brooke seemed to love so much. Probably because it stood out so strongly against the white painted house and black shutters. Or so Lucas guessed.

Putting the car in park, he pocketed the keys and began up the long walkway. But before he had even made it halfway, the door was flung open and Brooke appeared. "I don't have anything for your mom," she blurted out and hurriedly ushered him inside. As soon as the door had closed behind him, she began to pace across the foyer, muttering indiscernible things beneath her breath.

"What do you mean?"

"Well when you have dinner with your special person's parents, you're supposed to bring something, right? Like dessert or flowers or something," Brooke rattled on. "Wait. Maybe I can bring something to drink. I'm pretty sure I have a bottle of something in my kitchen," she decided and began to hurry off in one direction with Lucas hurrying after her.

"You'll be a teenager showing up with alcohol," he called out and skidded to a stop to avoid knocking her over when she suddenly halted in place.

"Oh my god, you're right. If I show up with booze they'll think I'm an alcoholic or something. Or that I thought the dinner was BYOB." She looked so utterly confused that Lucas couldn't resist leaning down for a quick kiss.

At the feel of his lips brushing against hers, Brooke relaxed and trailed her arms up to wrap around his neck. Moaning quietly, her tongue tangled with his as he deepened the kiss. She was quickly getting lost in the sensations coursing throughout her body. She felt like she was on fire and desperately tried to get closer.

Arms wrapped tightly around her, Lucas slowly walked Brooke backwards until her knees bumped against the couch. Leaning back on the thick cushions, she pulled him down on top of her. Almost instantly her hands abandoned his shoulders so she could explore the muscles beneath his shirt.

Gently scraping her nails across his skin, Brooke felt his breath hitch. His kisses moved from her lips to the smooth column of her throat. Nipping at the soft skin, Lucas dragged his lips across her collar, causing Brooke to moan softly.

Just as he was about to trail his hands beneath her shirt, his cell phone began to ring. The loud music snapped the two out of their passion induced haze long enough to put a little distance between them. Lucas showed her the screen, revealing who the caller was. "Go ahead," Brooke invited, letting him know it was okay for him to get up and answer the call.

"Hello?" he greeted and listened to his mother's questions. "I stopped by to pick up Brooke," he explained and looked at her as he added, "She's going to be spending the day with us. Okay. Bye."

"I guess we should probably go now, huh?"

"Probably," Lucas agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"Okay. We wouldn't want to give your uncle time slip in any raisins or unnecessary salad dressing," she shrugged. "Just give me a minute to fix my makeup and I'll be ready to go."

Disappearing into another part of the house, Lucas was left alone in the spacious living room. With his hands in his pockets, he walked to the mantel where candlesticks and flowers in a crystal vase occupied the space that would normally be reserved for family photos. Above hung a painting of two people, a man and a woman who were obviously Brooke's parents. The woman's dark hair and her partner's hazel eyes gave away their identity though Lucas couldn't help wondering why Brooke wasn't in the painting with them.

Putting that question in the back of his mind for later consideration, he sat back on the plush couch. With a sigh, Lucas began to think about what had just happened between him and Brooke.

True, it wasn't the first time they made out and it wasn't the farthest they had gotten either. That had happened on the night they kissed in the rain.

But while Lucas knew he wanted to take things further with her, he also couldn't help but feel like they should wait. The last thing he wanted was for Brooke to think he was like all the other guys who only wanted to date her in the hopes of getting her into bed. In fact he'd hate for her to get that impression.

Because it was so much more than that for Lucas.

He wanted to earn her trust and he wanted her to know she was safe with him before they got around to sleeping together. As contrite as it sounded, Lucas knew it would mean more to the both of them if they waited. The only problem was that he didn't know how to say it to Brooke without making it sound like he was rejecting her. As flirtatious as she was, he could see that beneath the tough exterior she showed the world, she was actually just as scared as everyone else. Maybe even more so considering the fact that she didn't have much stability at home.

Lucas would admit that the Davis house was beautiful. The landscaping was well maintained and added charm to the house's exterior. While the inside was filled with designer furniture and expensive antiques. But none of that could make up for how cold it felt. Or for how empty it seemed despite all the carefully selected possessions.

A person could walk in and not know that anyone lived there.

It was a sad truth and Lucas couldn't help wondering how Brooke had managed to stay there on her own for as long as she had. He also began to understand why she hated silence and detested the dark. It all reminded her of a life she didn't enjoy.

"Okay, Broody. I'm ready to go," Brooke announced as she sauntered back into the room. Lucas took the time to notice the soft black sweater she had paired with a dark pair of jeans. Black high heeled boots gave her an extra couple of inches, not that it made much of a difference next to Lucas' six foot plus height. He also noticed the way her long dark hair fell down her back in soft waves with a few loose tendrils to frame her face.

"You look beautiful," Lucas said simply but the compliment made Brooke smile. A feeling she could only describe as happiness began to flood her insides, making Brooke feel glad that she agreed to spend the holiday together.

"Let's go handsome. I can't wait to see if this uncle of yours is as cute as you are," she teased and led him from the house as he rolled his eyes.

"He's almost forty," Lucas couldn't help but laugh. Each day he began to get more and more used to her teasing. Flirting, he silently corrected as she leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

"Oh well. I guess I'm stuck with you then." Hazel eyes twinkling with amusement, she winked and practically dragged him to the car. All the while he laughed at the poor joke.