The Scott Clan

OTH A.U. Brucas/Naley/Jeyton

Chapter Two: The Scott Girls

Lucas yawned as he went into the nursery and flicked on the light, "Hello, all my little pretty girls. Time to rise and shine."

He went up to the first crib that held the first quadruplet. Her name was Brooklyn, named after her brilliant, brave, and very beautiful mother. He couldn't have picked a better name because that was exactly what baby Brooklyn was: brilliant, brave and beautiful. Brooklyn's eyes slowly fluttered opened and she smiled at seeing her daddy's face. "Good morning, Brooklyn." She giggled as Lucas moved on to the next crib.

This crib held LoriAnne. Like her sister, LoriAnn was brilliant and beautiful, but not so brave. LoriAnn was daddy's little brooder. She was shy and quiet, silently caring for her family from the sidelines.

The next crib across the room held Morgan. Morgan was much like her aunt Peyton. She was fierce and brave when need be but would rather hold her feelings and thoughts to herself.

The very last crib held Lizzie, who of all his girls, puzzled Lucas the most. One moment Lizzie would be sweet and girly, and the next was very cruel and contradicting. As far as Lucas knew, nobody on his or Brooke's side of the family had a mean bone in their body. Then again, he'd never met Brooke's family. But why was Lizzie so cruel? Was it something that he as a single, widowed, father had done? Was it because Brooke wasn't there? And how come none of the other girls acted so . . . so horrible?

These were all questions Lucas wished he had the answer to. He'd tried for the last year to be both mother and father to his daughters. He'd quit his job in Charlotte at the Charlotte Observer where he'd written a sports column. He'd moved back to Tree Hill in the house he and Brooke had kept for when they came to visit their family and friends. He started coaching the Tree Hill High Ravens after Coach Whitey had retired. And since he was in his hometown of Tree Hill, he had plenty of help with the girls. So, what was wrong?

Brooke wasn't here.

Lucas took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes his eyes. He put his wife's picture and his mind and just . . . remembered her. What she looked like, how big her smile was, the way her nose scrunched up when she was nauseous, how cute and adorable she looked in the mornings when her hair was a mass of messy curls and she had that sleeply slack to her eyes . . .

His thoughts were interrupted when Lizzie started to fuss. Lucas smiled and looked down at his mysterious child. He picked her up, "Good morning, Lizzie." Lizzie clutched onto Luke's shoulder and bawled, "Ah, someone must not be happy that Daddy woke her up." He rocked her up and down, humming a lullaby he'd heard Brooke sing to them before they were even born. As a response to this, the other three started to cry.

~*~

Lucas walked up to Peyton and Jake's door. Brooklyn was on his back in a carrier, Lizzie was in front of him in a carrier, and he carried LoriAnn and Morgan in each hand in car seats. On his shoulders were two diaper bags. With his foot, he banged on the door. Within seconds, the door opened and Haley appeared.

"Hey, Lucas!" Haley squealed, "And my adorable nieces!" He followed her into the Jagielski residence and she took LoriAnn and Morgan's car seats. "Peyton told me you had another dream."

"Yeah," Lucas nodded, "It was of the night you sang at Tric and the time capsule had been released."

"Oh, wow," Haley said, "You and Brooke were really close that night. I'm so sorry, Luke."

"I'll be okay," Lucas shrugged. He set the diaper bags down on the living room couch and started to dismantle the carriers. Haley was now kneeling on the floor in front of Morgan and LoriAnn and talking in baby voices.

"Unka Wuke!" Jenny, along with Haley's twin three-year-olds James and Joy, ran excitedly into the room. Jenny collided with Lucas's shin and held on. The twins pulled on the hem of his coat

"Kids, don't hang on your uncle Lucas while he's holding the girls!" Peyton said as she came into the living room. She wore an apron with a picture of a cow on it that said 'Moo-ve it, or the cook won't cook.'

"Sowwy Mommy," Jenny let go. The twins (who didn't talk very well yet) looked sadly up at their aunt Peyton.

"How was the ride over here?"

"Loud," Lucas answered, lifting Lizzie out of the carrier and holding her on his shoulder, "Could you get Brooklyn out?"

"Oh, sure," Peyton went over to him and he turned around. Brooklyn giggled at seeing her mother's best friend. Peyton undid the child in place and lifted her, "Hi, mini-Brooke! Did you miss me?" The little girl cooed and latched on to Peyton's curly blonde hair. Peyton pulled the chubby fingers out of her locks and kissed the little girl's hand, "Guess that answers that question."

Lucas smirked and Haley giggled at the babies in front of her, "Peyton, did you ever think she only does that all the time to you because she knows that you hate it? And that Brooke used to do it all the time too?" Haley looked over at Peyton. Peyton gave her a look.

"Well, they're all yours now," Lucas yawned, "They've only been awake for a little over two hours and they've already worn me out."

"Aww, poor Luke," Peyton laughed.

"Do you know what Lizzie did?" Lucas said, "While I was trying to change Morgan's diaper and hold on to LoriAnn at the same time, Lizzie climbed out of the playpen. Then she took my watch off the little table where I'd put it so nothing got on it while I changed diapers.

"So she took your watch," Haley said, "The twins do stuff like that to me all the time." She lifted Morgan out of her car seat.

"You didn't let me finish though," Lucas challenged, "Once she'd taken the watch, she ran out of the room, to the bathroom, and . . . threw my watch in the toilet! Then she flushed it!"

"Buy a new one," Peyton shrugged.

"That wasn't just any watch," Lucas said, "That was the watch that Brooke gave me on our second anniversary."

Peyton and Haley's faces immediately fell, "Oh god. Luke, that was the last anniversary you two had!" Peyton rocked little Brooklyn in her arms.

"You're tellin' me," Lucas sighed.

"Aw, I don't think she meant it. She didn't even know who it was from or what it meant to you," Haley sighed.

"I know that," Lucas said, "It's just, sometimes I get so frustrated with Brooke. And I know none of this was her fault but you have no idea what it feels like to wake up to the sound of four crying babies every morning and not be able to share any of it with the one person who should be there!" Lucas sat down on the couch and held on to Lizzie's little hand. He looked up at his friends with his classic, intense look "There have been times in these past months where, just for a moment, I think that if they didn't exist . . . then she'd still be here."

"Lucas, don't think like that," Peyton said, "I knew Brooke for a long time, longer than you, and I know that she wouldn't regret for a moment giving her life so her daughters could live. She knew the risks going in, you both did, and she did what she thought was best. Don't do this, don't make her sacrifice for nothing."

"Yeah, Luke," Haley held Morgan close," These girls are growing up so fast. Pretty soon they're going to notice how you really feel and they're going to hate you for that."

To Be Continued . . .