The birds chirped as the sun's early morning rays broke through the sky's last hints of darkness. Brooke had had a restful and peaceful sleep but had found herself wide awake, much earlier than planned, at dawn. Rising in her blue silk nightie, she put on a pot of coffee and took a steaming mug outside to the front porch. Being so early, the small city was still quiet. The traffic level in nearby downtown was next to nothing, the only background noise being the pleasant sounds of nature.

Sighing, she took a sip of coffee. It was still hard to believe she was back in Tree Hill again. She could still remember the ride in the cab that took her to the airport that summer day nine years before. Back then, she was sure she would return one day. But that day had never come and Brooke's life, full of changes, had gone on. The city by the river had become a distant memory and now all of a sudden she was back and happier than ever. She had seen the world and had loved her career as a professional dancer. And she loved Cameron Drake.

Moving back had been quite the challenge. It had been a bit of a struggle locking down the right location for the dance academy. Brooke had searched high and low for the perfect property until finally she had found it. Using thousands of dollars from her own bank account, she had worked diligently to turn it into the classy, elegant, yet fun place to learn. Ever the perfectionist, if it had Brooke Davis' name on it, you better believe it would be up to par.

Then the house had been another issue. But quickly she and Cameron had combined their unique and different styles to turn the house into a home they could be proud of. Haley had chipped in as well and the girls had joked about how domesticated Brooke had become over the years. Without complaint, she had climbed a ladder and used a broom to dust out all the cobwebs in the many corners and crevices. She had helped Cameron rip up the floors then retile them and she had even discovered that painting could be fun. It had been an incredible experience, one that she was grateful for. Enjoying the peace and the quiet, Brooke settled in her comfortable chair, tucking her feet underneath her, not even hearing the front and screen doors as they creaked open.

"What are you doing up so early and out here? Why don't you come back to bed?"

Brooke turned her head to see Cameron yawning and stretching his long, beautiful arms.

"I couldn't sleep. I was tossing and turning and I didn't want to wake you so I made some coffee and somehow I just ended up out here."

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

She looked up and gave him a saucy grin.

"You better, Boyfriend."

Cameron walked around and helped her up so that he could sit down and she could sit atop his lap.

"This is pretty nice, babe," he looked around. "I really like this house. I think we made a real good decision."

Brooke looked down, licking her lips.

"Wait a minute. You came out here wrapped in a towel. Cam, are you naked underneath that?"

He shrugged.

"You know I sleep commando and when I woke up and you weren't in bed, I didn't bother to try to find my boxers or my pants."

"You are so bad, you know that?"

Cameron just laughed.

"You love it."

"I do love it but look around. We have neighbors and our house faces the street. What if someone sees?"

"Let them see. Who cares? Besides, it's the butt crack of dawn, Brooke. Nobody is up right now except for us and the birds."

"I guess you're right," she leaned back in his arms, letting him taste a sip of her coffee. "Bet you never thought the day you'd see Brooke Davis be so modest…or so prudish."

Cameron laughed out loud.

"Prude, you definitely are not. But I know things are different out here."

"What do you mean?"

"For a long time this place was your home. You grew up in Tree Hill then you left and you haven't been back in nine years. Things are going great with us and the school and the house but I know some of this has to be weird for you."

"It's nice to be back. I hate to admit it but Haley was right and we made a great decision."

"I feel like a but is coming on."

"But…there are a lot of memories here."

"What kind? Tell me about it."

"All different kinds. Some good, some bad."

"Like what? Tell me about some good ones," Cameron held her close.

Brooke smiled with fond remembrance.

"Let's see...I had a lot of good times in this place. I loved cheerleading and I loved school."

"You loved school?" Cameron raised an eyebrow.

"Okay so not the actual academics of it but I was like the prettiest and the most popular girl in school so hell yeah."

He chuckled to himself.

"I'm an Okalahoma farm boy and I still can't get over the fact that I date a cheerleader."

"It was fun and that's where I got my start in choreography. There was this kid, Mouth, I used to call him Lips because I couldn't remember his name for the life of me. At the Sparkle Classic…"

"Sparkle Classic?"

"Shut up. Corny name but it's like this huge competition they have in Charlotte. There was this chick, Claire Young…God, I hated that snotty, little bitch. Don't ask me how but every year their squad would totally cream us for the trophy. Then our routine was stolen last minute and one of my cheerleaders went down with chicken pox and Haley had to fill in last minute. Babe, it was a mess! I was losing my mind. And Mighty Mouth came to the rescue. He totally spied on the other team and helped me come up with this kick ass dance. It was awesome."

"Angry dance off with hot chicks. I'm digging it. Did you win?"

"We lost the competition but guess who won the outstanding choreography trophy? I'll tell you. Yours truly. I still have that trophy and I bet that skank, Claire and her little ho posse are still reeling over that one."

"Ho posse?" Cameron laughed out loud.

"Then this one time, I got smashed at Nathan's dad's party for the basketball team and told an awful lie to Haley about Nathan and she got really upset and it almost ruined them."

"That's not very nice."

"So I had bitchy tendencies back then, it was high school. Anyway, I totally squared my karma and set them up on like the coolest date ever, hence the beginning of what we now know is Naley."

"Naley. And I thought 'ho posse' was creative, babe."

"You know me, I'm a creative kind of gal. But there was a lot of fun here. You see that big bridge over there? Peyton Sawyer and I used to skip class and ride our bikes to the mall, then go down there by the river and listen to her creepy, loser rock music and put on the awesome make up I bought. And this one time we had a snow day here and Peyton and I played in my yard like all day until our fingers and toes were frozen. And we used to have this little tradition for my birthday…"

"The one at that mall you told me about?"

"Yeah."

"Sounds like fun. I mean, we got into our own trouble and fun but that mostly involved tractor races and cow tipping."

"Thank God you moved to L.A." Brooke half joked, rolling her eyes.

"I like it in Tree Hill and I have a feeling we're gonna do good here, Brooke. But I'm glad you're happy, too. And with the wedding coming up, you're gonna get the chance to see your old friends. That's gonna be nice."

Brooke shivered involuntarily. Nathan, Haley, Tim, Skills, Bevin, Teresa and the bunch were one thing but there were two other old but familiar faces Brooke was bound to run into. She hadn't talked to them in years and she hadn't dare breathe a word to Haley about her apprehensions but a growing dread loomed in the pit of her belly every time she thought about seeing Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Eugene Scott again. Even though she had longed moved on and was deliriously happy with her wonderful boyfriend, it was hard to shake that indescribable feeling she felt every time she thought about Lucas and Peyton.

"Yeah…nice."

"Everybody's coming?"

"So Haley says but I haven't talked to her in a while, not since we got back from Europe."

"That's cool. At least you'll get to see Peyton again. I mean, she was your best friend and all."

"Was," Brooke bit her lip.

"You never talk about that. You talk about Peyton all the time, about all the fun you two used to have. She sounds like a really good friend. I know you two lost touch when you moved but sometimes it seems like you don't want to see her."

"I haven't seen her in years. Things happen, Cameron. People change. Our lives are so different now."

"Did something happen between you two? Did you have a fight?"

Brooke sighed.

"It's stupid. It wasn't a fight exactly. We got over that but after I left, she hooked up with this guy I used to date and it kind of pissed me off. It's a long drawn out story but I liked this guy and he liked her. Peyton turned him down and told me it was cool to go after him and I did and I thought everything was hunky fucking dory until I found out they were messing around behind my back. It was total drama and I was angry and hurt and betrayed but eventually I forgave them both. But later on after I left, I heard they got together."

"And that made you mad?"

"I don't know if mad is the word. It's not about the guy, more like the trust and the friendship. It's like he came between us and she let that happen. It's like she couldn't wait for me to leave so she could be with him. So yeah I guess that part did bother me but it's stupid. I mean, everybody's moved on and it's been years."

"I get that but like you said, it's been years. I don't want to push it but it sounds like you and Peyton had a pretty good friendship. I just don't want to see that completely thrown away."

"I don't know, Cameron. I'm not the same Brooke I was back in high school."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She exhaled.

"I have no idea. I mean, my priorities weren't straight then but whose were? We were kids and it was high school but I was kind of shallow and at times I could be mean and I was more into shopping and make up and material things. It's not an excuse but my parents had a lot to do with that."

"What do you mean?"

"I always wanted their attention. I'd do anything to get it. When I was little, I'd purposely try to get in trouble just so they would pay attention to me. Pretty pathetic, right? At home, I didn't even exist and that really bothered me. I couldn't admit it but it hurt. But at school, I was the queen. I was pretty and popular and I had all the attention I could want. I loved it. But one day I looked in the mirror and didn't even know who was staring back at me. I didn't want to be that person anymore. I wanted something different. My parents had hurt me, Peyton had hurt me, a stupid guy had hurt me…I was tired of being hurt, Cam. And I was tired of relying on other people's opinions to make myself happy. I woke up. That's when I started senior year in Cali and I really started focusing on dance. So it may sound a little stupid but a part of me was a little afraid to come back. I had such high hopes and big dreams but I was still scared. Scared of what I was and who I was and what I would see when I got back."

"Brooke…"

"I can't believe I just told you all that. I've never told anyone any of that stuff."

He stroked her arms.

"I'm not just anyone, babe. Whatever you're feeling or you're going through, I want you to always come to me and talk to me. We're in this thing together and I'm here for you, no matter what."

"I love you, Cameron."

"You too."

"No, I mean it," she turned to face him. "I really, really love you. I am at such a happy time in my life. I have done so much with my career and now I get to teach people and kind of share that with them. We have this great house and I'm just at peace with myself and everything around me. You can't beat that. I'm this strong, successful, independent woman and it took so much for me to get here and just when I thought I had everything, you came along to complete the puzzle. All that time I was missing love and now I've found it. I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

She smiled and shrugged.

"For being so sweet and amazing. For believing in me and encouraging me and supporting me and helping me with everything. And just for being a kick ass boyfriend. For being you. I feel so safe with you."

"You are safe, Brooke."

She held his face and gave him a sweet, lingering kiss.

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

Brooke wrapped his arms tighter around her and sank into his embrace, just enjoying the peace and beauty of Tree Hill, of home. It was truly a good feeling.

"Just hold me," she whispered.