The tile floor is cold against his face, and it's about the only thing he can feel. The music plays from the little shower radio Brooke insisted they get and he can almost hear her singing Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears songs. His heart beats against the tile it's pressed too and the sound radiates through his mind. He stares out at the blue eyes that see right through him. He reaches out and stroke her dark loose curls and she giggles. Sticking her thumb in her mouth, she crawls over to her father's embrace and hugs him tight. He inhales the scent that follows her and she smells exactly like Brooke, figures since they were always attached to each other. He holds her tighter and they lay there, on the bathroom floor together.
"Daddy?" She asks in her 'inside voice'.
"Yeah Babe?"
"Can you get me Momma's shirt?" She says, looking hopeful.
"Yeah." He says, peeling himself off the floor and carrying Ellie to their room.
He grabs Brooke's favorite shirt, a faded blue one that was his first, and pulls it over his daughter's head. She skips out to the living room to watch Sesame Street and Lucas grips his hands tight on the drawer. He hasn't touched any of Brooke's things, and now he knows why. The tears fall from his eyes as he smells her scent drift from the open drawer. His knees buckle and he sits, clutching one of her shirts to his face, with his back to the dresser as the tears fall.
"Hey El." A voice sounds from the living room. "Where's your Daddy?" The footsteps start and get closer to his bedroom until a familiar face appears in the door. She doesn't say anything when she sees him, she just sits next to him as her own tears cloud her vision.
"What do I do?" He chokes. "Haley what am I gonna do?"
"I don't know." She says quietly. "I'm so sorry. I don't know."
Lucas and Haley sit there until Peyton appears in the doorway, Haley had called her over before she came, just in case. She starts shaking and he body is racked with tears. She sits next to Haley and grabs her hand, holding on for dear life.
- - -
Rachel comes to town, and Lucas remembers that he forgot to call her and tell her. She rings their doorbell with a happy face, glad to be home. For now.
"Hey Luke," She says when he opens the door. "You look like ass, what is Brooke keeping you up all night?"
"Rachel." He starts in a weak voice.
"Where is Brooke anyway?"
Tears form in his eyes as he stares at the girl who is completely oblivious.
"Momma's in heaven now Auntie Rachel." Ellie says, walking through the living room on her way to find a snack.
"What?" she says. "Lucas, what is she talking about? Where's Brooke?"
"Rachel."
"Where is Brooke?! Fuck Lucas where is she! Stop joking with me. Brooke come out from where you're hiding!" The redhead says as she frantically searches the room.
Lucas slumps onto the couch and cries again. He hates the way this feels, crying, it's such a girl thing. When Rachel sees him heaving in breaths and trying to control himself she breaks down.
"When?" She sobs.
"Last week." He says through the tears.
Ellie walks through the room again wearing Brooke's shirt, and climbs onto Rachel's lap.
"I missed you Auntie Rachel." She says. "I'm sorry Mommy made you sad. She makes me sad too."
- - -
"Auntie Peyton?" Ellie says. She's at Peyton house for the day.
"Yeah Ellie Belly?" Peyton answers, eyes glued to her work.
"Can you take me to see Mommy?"
"Yeah." Peyton says after a minute, grabbing the little girls hand and her keys. They drive to the cemetery as Ellie babbles about her favorite teddy bear Wilmer. Brooke told her that she should give her teddy a unique name and she makes sure to tell Peyton that, stumbling on the word unique. She walks the small girl over to Brooke's headstone and Ellie eyes darken when she sees her letter not opened.
"Hi Momma. I thought you would have opened my letter by now. That's okay though. I miss you Momma. I learned how to swim underwater and I'm not even afraid anymore. Auntie Haley taught me in her super big pool and I played with cousin Jamie. She blew up my floaties just like you used to when you weren't in heaven. What's heaven like? Cause I think I might want to visit you soon. How do you get a present to heaven? Cause your birthday is soon and I wanna give you something nice. I ate a red popsicle today. Auntie Peyton got it for me. I like blue popsicles better but red was your favorite so I thought that maybe it could be my new favorite too. Wilmer misses you too. He wants you to tuck him in and give him Eskimo kisses. I do also. Daddy does it, but it's not as good as you. Don't tell him that except. I love you Momma."
Peyton's got tears in her eyes as she scoops up the little girl and carries her back to the car.
"Don't cry Auntie Peyton. I'm gonna see momma soon." The little girl says with a smile.
I don't know where to go from here but i changed that ending a little. So hiatus until i get an idea, so feel free to give me a plot when you review. haaaha.