Author's Notes: To those who read this story while Karen beautifully wrote it, hello. I am Julianna, and I am new on writing OTH stories. However, when Karen told me she was going to stop writing this, I begged her not to. So she gave it to me. I hope you enjoy this new phase.
About this chapter: I've kept Karen's basic structure for this chapter, only developing better the story. This means it's basically the same chapter, only improved. Oh, and I've cut short the mysterious villain. I suck at writing bad deeds. I have no idea of Nikki's last name and mother's name, so I made them up. If someone knows them please tell me!
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. The characters belong to Mark and CW (oh, I can't wait to see season five. Hopefully Lucas will ditch his new gal pal, tell Peyton to go to hell and have Brooke to marry him – yes, I still am a Brucas fan at heart, sweets). The plot belongs to Karen.
The Reuniting Song By Julianna
Chapter One: Changes.
It wasn't unusual for Karen Elizabeth Roe to wake up early in the morning. Actually, long before she became what she was now – mother and businesswoman – Karen was already an early riser, always choosing to study or jog in the early hours of the morning. That peculiar habit of hers hadn't changed as her teenage years switched into adulthood, and the early rising had grown into insomnia ever since she had become a mother.
Lucas had grown to be an early riser like the woman who had given him life, but now her seventeen-year-old son wasn't there to keep her company in the hours they used to previously enjoy talking or simply hanging out together. Her baby boy had spread his wings open and flown far from her, living in Charleston with Keith for the summer and, even though Lucas drove back at least twice a week, Karen knew he didn't do it only because of her.
No, the other reason her son had grown up so much so quickly was the brunette beauty soundly asleep in Lucas's bedroom. Karen couldn't help but curve her lips in a small smile as she recalled how Brooke Davis spent her summer. The head cheerleader had given up countless opportunities to party the night away, choosing to spend time with Karen either on the café or at the house.
And even when Lucas was in Tree Hill, the smitten teens hadn't gone out. Although Lucas frequently suggested to his girlfriend a trip to the local pubs and clubs, Brooke knew what he really wanted was to spend some time with his mother and, being a fan of Karen, she was more than happy to give up some partying and have a movie night with Lucas and his mother.
Karen knew the young couple had an active sex life – Brooke's pregnancy scare a few weeks earlier had spooked her half to death – but apparently they were more than content with just cuddling and a light make-out session.
She was so deep in her thoughts that the feeling of two strong arms snaking around her waist was enough to make her breathe out a startled yelp, but she relaxed as soon as she turned around to face this intimate stranger and her blue eyes met her son's dark blue pools. "Oh, sweet Jesus, Luke!" She exhales, her arms reaching out to wrap themselves around his neck.
Lucas smiled against his mother's shoulder. The last three months had been hard on him – leaving Tree Hill breaking his heart more than it did Keith's.
However, always loyal to the man he loved as a father, Lucas swallowed his pain and stood by Keith, until the older man decided he had seen enough of Lucas looking like a lost puppy around their Charleston house and told him to go back. "You don't want to be here, Luke. Go back. And… Tell your mama I miss her", Keith said as they bid each other goodbye.
Karen's hands cupped her son's cheeks and she smiled, relief shining into her eyes as she looked over his shoulder and noticed the bags he had taken with him when he had left to Charleston. "Welcome back", she whispered.
Lucas kissed her cheek, and Karen didn't miss the way his eyes lit up when he saw Brooke sprawled into his bed, dressing his gray hoodie and tightly curled around his pillow. He took a deep breath. "Damn, I always forget how beautiful she is", he whispered. Karen chuckled, and he blushed lightly.
"I'm going to the café, Luke", she said as she pointedly stared at Brooke. "Now, I trust you know what not to do while I'm away?"
Lucas showed her his famous half-smile and nodded. With a satisfied grin and a nod, she tiptoed and kissed his cheek. "I've missed you, Luke".
"I've missed you too, Ma".
As far as dreams were concerned, for Brooke Davis so far this was definitely one of the best she'd ever remembered having. She and Lucas were lying on his comfortable and warm bed, getting hot and heavy as it always happened whenever they were together. Lucas was kissing her neck, licking and nuzzling that particular patch of skin that always made her shiver.
Brooke definitely didn't want to wake up. Her dreams were always like that, with Lucas's presence and a foot on X-rating, but she always woke up feeling needy, unsatisfied and empty. Taking a deep breath, she dove into the fantasy, but she left the area between slumber and consciousness when a startled yelp left her lips as a pleasant pain stung her neck.
She blinked, once, twice and as third time as she felt a hot, hard body wrapped around hers. She stiffened slightly, but the sensations those soft skilled lips were causing to her body were too familiar for her to give in to the instinctive panic. "For how long?" She whispered as she wrapped her slim arm around his head and brought his lips even closer to her neck.
He grinned wolfishly against her silky skin. "How about forever?"
She turned to him, her hazel green eyes sparkling like two stars as they met his soft, loving baby blues. "You're back to stay?" She whispered like a little girl in Christmas morning.
He nodded softly, bringing her toned flesh close to his hard body. "If you have me", he whispered.
Her answer to his whisper was to bring his body even closer to hers and lock her lips to his in a sweet, but passionate kiss. "It's all I've ever wanted", she whispered, as she leaned her forehead to rest against his and looked deep into his eyes.
The wind blew against Jake Jagielski's short, chocolate brown hair as he drove his new convertible back to Tree Hill. A small smile curved his lips as he heard the soft, childish giggle of his one-year-old daughter Jenny, who was securely tucked into her safety chair on the back seat.
As he looked at the rearview mirror to check up on the baby, the sight of Jenny's head covered with light blond hair brought back to Jake's mind memories of another blonde girl, only with curly hair where Jenny's was straight. As if she felt the flow of her father's thoughts, Jenny opened a broad toothless grin and said, "Pey!"
Jake chuckled. "That's right, baby girl. You miss Peyton too, don't you?" Jenny giggled again, and Jake chuckled in response. "I'll take that as a yes. Don't worry, kid, you'll see her again soon. And daddy promises we'll never leave her side again".
He sighed contentedly as he recalled the wild days Jenny and he had been living lately. He had fled from Tree Hill with the child in order to prevent Nikki from taking Jenny away, and Peyton, along with Brooke, had helped to dodge Nikki by sending her to Savannah, whilst Jake was actually hiding in Savannah with some relatives.
However, the danger of Nikki's presence had vanished three weeks previously. Jake had contacted her family in order to give her news of Jenny, and her mother answered.
Flashback
"Hello?" An older voice tiredly answered to the phone. Jake smiled. He had always been fond of Patti, Nikki's mother, who was a wise and kind woman.
"Hello, Mrs. Smith, this is Jake" There was an awkward pause, and he added for good measure. "Jake Jagielski. I used to date Nikki…"
"Oh, yes, Jenny's dad!" Patti said politely. "How are you, Jake? And Jenny?"
"I'm fine, Mrs. Smith. And so is she. Jenny's so grown, you wouldn't recognize her if you ever saw her".
"That's good, dear. Now, how can I help you?"
"I'm just calling to ask you to please give Nikki some news about Jenny for me".
There was another awkward, and longer, pause. Jake frowned as Patti Smith took a deep breath. "Excuse me?" The older woman whispered in a broken voice.
"Is there something wrong?" Jake asked worriedly. Patti Smith took a deep breath once again.
"Oh, dear, I guess you haven't heard the news, have you?"
"What news, Mrs. Smith?"
Patti squeezed the speaker. "Jake, Nicole died a few weeks ago. A nasty car crash. She was driving to Seattle when a drunk driver overran the red light and smashed her car".
Jake paled and would have fallen if he hadn't managed to sit down at his aunt's wore down couch. "Oh my God", he whispered. "Mrs. Smith, I'm so sorry… I had no idea…"
Flash-forward
Jake's feelings towards Nikki's unexpected and tragic death were confusing. Although she had taken him to courts to fight for Jenny's custody and threatened to take the baby away from him, Nikki was young and with a bright future ahead of her, just waiting for her to take the right turn and get it. Now she would never see Jenny grow up, and Jenny would never have her mother around.
Well, Jake old man, it just means you're gonna to work a little bit harder to raise that little girl right, doesn't it? He told himself. Jenny smiled her toothless grin to Jake over the rearview mirror, and Jake grinned back to her, as they drove past the Welcome to Tree Hill sign.
It was the third day newlywed Haley James-Scott woke up nauseated and wanting to throw up. As she rested her sweaty forehead against the cool tiles of the tiny bathroom she and Nathan now shared, she cursed the flu bug that was wreaking havoc into her once healthy body.
As she got up and stood straight, the soft sun rays reflected into her thin silver wedding band and a sweet smile curved her lips. It'd been three months since a nervous, but beaming Nathan had slid that into her finger, and she couldn't dream for a better summer.
Nathan and Haley got along great, just the two of them (sometimes double dating with Brooke and Lucas when the latter was in town), and she wanted to scream to those who were against teenage marriage that they could just go to hell. Her life was perfect, and she couldn't imagine it getting any better.
Her eyes quickly checked the clock hanging on their bedroom wall, and she swore quietly. She was going to be late to her shift at Karen's Café, again. Karen was going to scream at her for her lateness, surely.
Something snapped inside of Haley. Late… Momentarily forgetting about her shift at the café, she grabbed her daily planner and quickly leafed through it, an icy sensation freezing her blood.
There was a calendar in her daily planner, with a certain day circled in red ink. She cautiously and carefully counted the days. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven.
Her period was a week late. Haley frowned at this. Her female time worked like a clock, always coming the day she expected it to. Since she became a full woman she had always been like this, and this lateness was new. She shrugged. Maybe it's because of my new lifestyle, she told herself.
But then the nausea hit her – again – and as she ran for the toilet she couldn't help but feed that little, pesky suspicion. What if…?
As Haley poured out what she had – and what she didn't have – in her stomach on the toilet, she kept telling herself, No, Haley. No way. You and Nate are always careful. Always. Every single time.
Brooke's pregnancy scare few weeks earlier had shaken both Nathan and Haley to their cores. Since they were already on the talks about having sex, when word came out about Tree Hill's former golden couple being seen at the family clinic, they were deeply affected.
That day, as they laid in Nathan's bed, fully clothed and just cuddling, both promised each other they were going to were condoms every time they had intercourse – just in case. And Haley religiously started birth control two weeks before they got married.
There was no way in hell Haley James-Scott was waiting for a child.
Brooke decided the day couldn't get any more beautiful. The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless blue, birds were chirping into their nests and the weather is wonderful, just the perfect mix of summer's heat with fall's cold. She was so getting married on late September.
But maybe what – rather who was making the day much more perfect was the boy walking next to her, his arm firmly and lovingly wrapped around her shoulders while hers rested loosely around his waist. Brooke couldn't stop touching him, and she knew he felt the same, for he was clinging to her like she was his lifeline.
The teenagers were going to Karen's Café to have their day started – besides, Haley's shift had already started, and Lucas couldn't wait to see his best friend. And Brooke could always spend some time with the girl she had grown to trust along the days.
However, the duo stopped dead at their tracks at the sight that greeted them at the café. Brooke felt Lucas stiffening within her embrace and she worriedly looked up at him, noticing a shadow cloud his eyes, which were so relaxed and open before.
Dan was sitting by the counter, a steamy coffee standing in front of him. He, Deb and Karen were having a calm, polite conversation, the two women looking apparently at ease with his presence there. As the wind bell over the front door rang through the bustling café, the three adults looked that way – all three of them reacting nervously to Lucas's presence.
"What is he doing here?" Lucas asked his mother coolly as he crossed the distance between the door and the counter. Brooke, who nervously glanced at Dan, noticed the concealed pang of hurt inside Dan's dark blue irises. Interesting, she thought as she bit her inner cheek.
"Having a latte", Dan shot back at his firstborn, and Brooke rolled her eyes. It was just my imagination, she told herself firmly as she turned to Deb.
"Good morning, Mrs. Scott", she greeted with a large smile. The woman smiled back, a knowing glimmer inside her eyes as they met Brooke's.
"Good morning, Brooke. Can I say you look radiant?" She chuckled. "I wonder what's the reason for that…" She teasingly added. Brooke chuckled as well and played along.
"Unfortunately the reason works just for me, Deb. But I can tell you I'm not letting go of it, not if it's up to me!" She giggled. "So, where's tutor-newlywed?" She asked as she calmed down.
Dan looked strangely at his estranged wife. "Tutor-newlywed?" He arched up one eyebrow, his eyes traveling until where Lucas was having a hushed, but heated argument with Karen.
"Not in yet". Noticing Dan's eyes definitely stuck at Karen and Lucas, Deb took the chance to shoot a pleading glance at Brooke, silently resting a finger against her lips. Brooke caught it and nodded swiftly, quickly changing subject.
"I'd like a tall foamless latte, and a black for Broody, Mrs. Scott, if it's not much trouble", the brunette said. "Oh, and a chocolate fudge shortcake, please. Better yet, make it two".
"Right away, Brooke", Deb said as she turned her back to work on the coffee machine. Lucas walked towards his girlfriend, solemnly ignoring Dan, while Karen sighed deeply and returned to where the latter sat.
"Everything okay?" Dan asked in a murmur, and Karen just looked at him, but as always her eyes spoke volumes. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He added still in hushed tones.
"Can you turn back time?" Karen snapped, but then blushed and shook her head softly. "Sorry. No, Dan. There isn't. Please stay out of this. It's for the best".
He nodded as his eyes followed the young couple, Brooke carrying their coffees, Lucas holding the plate with their shortcakes and an arm firmly around Brooke's slim waist.
To see his older son with his high school sweetheart surely brought back to Dan memories of him and his high school days of love and freedom. He sighed deeply as the flashback floored back into his mind, Karen's carefree laugh ringing in his ears once again. He had never heard a laugh that was as carefree as hers was back in the day.
His trance was broken by the wind bell echoing into the salon. Looking profoundly troubled, Haley walked in, her face pale like she had just met a ghost. Lucas glanced worriedly at Brooke, who was frowning slightly, and Deb and Karen hurried towards their young helper.
"Haley, sweetie, are you fine?" Karen asked as she led the girl towards a stool by the counter. Dan rolled his eyes at this, finished his coffee and put a ten-dollar bill over the counter.
"See you later", he told no one in particular as he briskly left the café.
No one paid any attention to him, for everyone's eyes were fixed at Haley. "Haley? Haley, sweetie, did anything happen?" Karen tried once again, growing more concerned by the minute.
"Oh, God, is anything with Nathan?" Deb's motherly instincts kicked right in, and apparently hearing her husband's name was it for Haley. She looked at the two older women and broke down, thick tears falling down her pale cheeks.
The now nearly desperate Deb and Karen led Haley to the kitchen in the back, with worried Lucas and Brooke hot in their heels, Karen sending a silent plea for help at their longtime waitress as they sunk into the room. Haley held Karen's wrist tightly, Brooke placing a glass full of icy cold water in front of her as Haley sat on a chair.
"Haley, what's going on? Is anything with Nathan? Did he do anything to you? Did anything happen to him?" Karen asked, being the calmer person in the room.
With tears still rolling down her face, Haley anxiously bit her lower lip, as her eyes hesitantly hovered over the four people's faces. She let out a hitched breath and then whispered, "I… I think I might be pregnant".
Time seemed to freeze.
T.B.C.
