Well, I think this is the end to this story. Thank you to those of you who have read and shared your thoughts. It gets a little steamy, but hopefully nothing offensive to anyone. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did thinking about these characters.
Chapter 8:
Julian Baker was happy. He reached out to make contact with the silky dark strands of hair splayed across the pillow. He gently rubbed the strands between his fingers, and smiled broadly as he watched Brooke sleep.
The alarm clock on the night stand showed 9:30, a decadent sleeping in luxury he hadn't known for months. He had already heard Sam leave for school, and as far as he could tell, Brooke hadn't stirred since last night when she fell asleep in his arms. They were both late at this point, but hell they deserved to sleep in today. Both had endured an emotionally draining week that culminated in the day that was a climatic mixture of tears and passion.
Jake grinned at the memory of last night's make-up. The entire act of lovemaking held a new power over him now that he realized he was in love with Brooke. He rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and sighed, he was never the one to be committed or to feel anything beyond lust. But Brooke changed him, and he was perfectly content with where he was for perhaps the first time in his life. Brooke's lips curved into a smile, and he couldn't help but hope she was dreaming of him as he leaned in to kiss her.
What an amazing feeling, to wake up being kissed by the man you had fallen in love with Brooke thought as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled. "Good morning." The sound of her voice, which was even deeper and raspier in the morning, caused an immediate physical reaction in Julian.
Brooke bit her lip and her eyes acknowledged that she felt Julian hardened against her abdomen. She raised an eyebrow and reached beneath the sheet to tough him. Julian quickly sucked in air and pushed his body over Brooke. She grinned, "Wow! So just the sound of my voice does it for you? I'm going to save a fortune on lingerie." Julian grinned, "It's the morning. I suggest you get use to this type of wake up call Brooke Davis." and kissed her hungrily as she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.
While Brooke was in the shower (giddily singing and humming Mia's optimistic song about new love) Julian checked his phone. Damn fifteen missed calls and messages, and it was only 11. Ignoring the messages for the moment, Julian called Lucas for an instant update.
"Julian! Where the hell are you? You need to get your ass down here NOW. Victoria is here and she ran off half the cast. She is driving everyone insane!" Lucas hung up before Julian could offer advice, ask questions, or proclaim his reunion with Brooke.
Looking around Brooke's bedroom for his clothes proved to be a harder task than he could have imagined. The two lovers hadn't exactly been conscious of where they were dropping or throwing clothing items the night before. He couldn't help grinning, remembering, as he discovered each item of his and Brooke's wardrobe throughout the room. Julian was bending over looking underneath Brooke's bed for his left shoe when he felt her hands rub his hips. If it wasn't his fault for hiring Victoria, Julian would have thrown Brooke back on the bed when he saw she was still damp from the shower and only wearing a white towel. She leaned against him causing his shirt to get wet from her hair as she kissed him with such an intensity Julian began to doubt they had actually had sex only minutes earlier.
Julian lifted his head and chuckled with appreciation and regret that he couldn't' have her again before leaving. Brooke dropped her towel and began kidding him while pushing him back down on the bed. Straddling Julian's hips she moved her hands to unbutton his shirt, but froze when she head his groan of frustration.
Julian's gaze took in all of Brooke and the closed his eyes only to still see her beautiful naked body in his mind. How the fuck does he bring up she-who-shall-not-be-named while she is on freaking top of him – naked! He opened his eyes to see her perfect breasts, and he quickly closed them shut, squeezing his eyelids tight.
Brooke silently watch his reactions with amusement until she heard him groan, "Brooke I can't. Lucas is freaking out about your mother terrorizing the set. I've got to go fire Victoria." He said apologetically and trepidation. Their fight was still fresh and he was worried this reminder would lead to a regression of their progress.
However, Brooke's reaction completely caught Julian by surprise. She squeezed her legs and pressed herself further onto him. She abruptly and roughly held his hands above his head and kissed him hard. "You don't know how hot that just made me… firing Victoria." She whispered into his ear and then laughed as she stood up.
Julian tried reaching for her and stammered in protest as he watched Brooke slowly and seductively strut to her desk to retrieve an envelope
He had given her the night before. Watching Brooke cross the room, still naked, made it impossible for Julian to comprehend what she was doing until it was too late. Brooke wordlessly ripped the documents into pieces then threw them in the air. A couple of pieces of the legal confetti clung to her hair and she sat on the bed facing him.
"Julian, don't jeopardize the movie to get out of the contract with Victoria. It isn't worth it. I understand and I appreciate your effort, but it isn't necessary." Her voice was firm and her eyes showed a calm strength that made Julian admire her even more. He was reminded earlier of Nathan's comment not to underestimate the size of Brooke's heart.
He squeezed her hand and softly kissed her lips. Brooke smiled sweetly at him, "I think you staying in business and having to deal with Bitchtoria is really the best lesson." She gave a true laugh and slapped his shoulder, "She is like a PMS-Godzilla bitch and you're just little ol' Tokyo." All Julian could do was hang his head in defeat and laugh as he sat back enjoying the view of Brooke getting dressed.
Later…
Two months had seen the wedding of Peyton Sawyer and Lucas Scott. The two enjoyed a beautiful ceremony that seemed to be cursed to be perfectly boring and devoid of any scandalous drama. During the ceremony, Julian and Samantha sat next to each other making fun of the other guests and of course the wedding party themselves. After Sam's loud snort and Julian's barely contained chuckle, they desperately tried to contain their laughter to prevent receiving more death glares from Brooke, Haley, and Nathan from the altar. As the ceremony progressed, neither Julian nor Sam (and especially Brooke) would admit they were each imagining the day Julian and Brooke were exchanging vows before friends, family, and G-d.
Three months had seen the uncomplicated birth of Sawyer Brooke Scott. Everyone was instantaneously in love with the newest addition to Tree Hill. Brooke was honored to be a godmother for the second time with her namesake. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to retain any rights to Baby Brooke, but she was inspired to create "Big Belly Brooke" a maternity line when she found herself making all of Peyton's clothes. She had to laugh that she actually didn't mind the pairing of "big belly" with her name, and she looked forward to the day she was designing her own maternity dresses.
Four moths included the finalization of Samantha's adoption. There was uncertainty if it would actually happen after Sam's birth mother returned. Samantha was grateful for her birth mother's interest and return, but ultimately she knew that DNA did not determine who her mom actually was. Surprisingly, Julian was the biggest obstacle to the adoption. He argued that Sam should be a "Baker" or at least a "Davis-Baker" like the Jolie-Pitt's. Samantha was thrilled he wanted her to legally be a part of his family and he wanted to officially be recognized as her father. Brooke couldn't deny her daughter and the man she loved. She quickly found herself legally bound with Julian as the guardian of a 16 year old teenager.
Five months… that's how long Julian Baker had to work with Victoria Davis. Brooke knew the days Julian had to deal personally with her mother because he would just stare at her in awe as if trying to comprehend how she was the spawn of Victoria. Well, that and the gifts of course. Each day Julian spoke to or actually saw Victoria, he would bring Brooke flowers, chocolate, even jewelry. It was as if Julian was unconsciously apologizing to her and still making amends for hiring her former company for his film.
Six months and the film was over. Julian was busy as ever with post-production details and preparing for distribution. But life in Tree Hill was returning to normal. The actors had returned to Hollywood, sets and props dismantled, and the town was turning its attention towards Basketball season.
Seven months found Julian and Brooke professionally busier and more successful than ever before. What Brooke had joked about her and Lucas with their fake engagement was a prophecy for her and Julian. He was earning accolades and prestige from his work on Lucas's film, and directors were personally calling to request him for their upcoming films. Brooke worked constantly doing what she loved most – design. She partnered with Millie, her former assistant and her good friend Mouth's current wife, to form a new fashion company to include her new lines.
However busy the couple found themselves, the two found time each night to rediscover one another. They continued to make date nights a monthly ritual that could not be broken to spend quality time with one another despite their chaotic schedules. Tonight's date night had horrible timing as usual with deadlines and meetings. However, tonight was different because Samantha had stayed home from school with a nasty cold.
Once Julian arrived home, Brooke approached him with pouting eyes and lips, "Julian why don't we order in for tonight? Sam's sick and we're both swamped." Her voice was filled with regret and obligation to her daughter, but Julian was determined for them to be selfish for once and abandon their responsibilities for the evening.
"Brooke," he whined, "this has been my light at the end of this hellacious week. Besides we can't cancel, it sets a dangerous precedent." She looked towards the sneezing and tightly bundled Samantha watching TV on the couch. Julian lifted Sam's face and said, "She's fine! She just needs a little makeup," to which both ladies threw nearby objects at him.
"Thanks JuJu… I can hear you now saying that to my corpse." Sam coughed with a scowl. "Careful Sammy, you're not supposed to handle dangerous machinery under the influence of cold meds and that includes your wit." Julian replied with a gentle nudge. He went to ruffle Sam's hair, but she noticed his hand lingered on her forehead, checking for a sign of fever.
"Mom! Julian's touching me!" Sam screamed in a hoarse voice to Brooke.
"Julian…" Brooke warned from their bedroom.
Julian leaned down to Sam, "I can't believe you told on me to your mom. You're such a tattle tale." He stuck his tongue out towards Sam as she started exhaling loudly in his direction, "Careful JuJu, I might be contagious." Julian laughed as he walked back to his and Brooke's bedroom.
He was pleased to see that Brooke had already changed into a strapless cocktail dress and was reapplying her lipstick. Julian gave a low whistle of appreciation for the revealing dress and kissed the area of her neck that met her bare shoulder. He mumbled, "I love you" into her soft, fragrant skin and looked up to meet her gaze in the mirror.
"I know," she responded then turned to kiss his lips before saying "I love you" against his neck. Tempted to say "Fuck it!" and stay home with his girls, he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and caressed her back. He kissed her again then pulled himself away saying, "We better get going before we don't make it out of the bedroom for the night." He looked down at her with the grin that still made Brooke's lady business flutter.
Dinner was at Brooke's favorite bistro and they had a table that was secluded from the crowd, but could still perfectly hear the local jazz band playing near the bar area. After eating dinner, Julian and Brooke gently swayed in each other's arms to the bands cover of Etta James's "At Last." There was no singer, but Julian and Brooke each sang over one another on different lines. The sever brought out a piece of the infamous chocolate cake as the couple returned to their table. Julian grinned as he watched recognition shine on Brooke's face. Brooke looked up at him surprised, "They don't make this dessert here." Julian took a fork and lifted a piece of cake to Brooke's lips just as he did on their "second" date. Brooke opened her mouth and slowly chewed and swallowed the cake before taking a sip of wine. This time, however, she took the fork and fed Julian a bite of cake before kissing his lips. The taste of chocolate and wine brought back memories of their first date with each other and they mumbled "cake fetish" against each other's lips.
The theater was only a couple of blocks from the bistro, and the mild weather was perfect for a stroll downtown. Julian avoided the box office and opened the door for Brooke explaining her he bought the tickets earlier on his way home for work. They avoided the concession area and made their way towards their theater oblivious to the stares and whispers from the other patrons. The two local celebrities continued to draw attention in public after the movie wrapped.
They entered their theater and Brooke was surprised to see it empty. She whispered, "When does the movie start?" looking around anxiously. Julian whispered "a few minutes," and guided her to a seat near the middle of the theater. The lights were already partially dimmed and it was difficult for her to see anything other than Julian's face and his fingers laced between hers.
She got a mischievous look on her face and removed her hand from his and boldly reached for Julian's zipper. He instantly grabbed her hand and nervously looked around. He turned to her amused and touched his forehead to hers, "Easy baby… let's wait to see if anyone else comes in first."
The lights went completely dark and the previews started. Brooke was slightly annoyed he had stopped her from unzipping his pants. What guy doesn't want to fool around in a movie theater? She looked at Julian's profile and sighed A man who makes movies for a living. He was completely engrossed in the preview, critically analyzing the smallest details. Who was she kidding… if Julian tried to slip his hands under her skirt at a fashion show she would at least wait until intermission. She attempted to rationalize his earlier actions, but she couldn't help to impatiently drum her fingers on his upper thigh.
The previews were finally over and she directed her attention to the dark screen. Suddenly she was aware she had no idea what they were about to see. "Julian what movie is this?" she whispered.
"Shhh!" Julian pointed at the screen for her to pay attention.
He did NOT just shush me! Brooke narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth "Well, it better be a romantic-comedy… and it better be good." She was silenced by the familiar music that had begun to play.
Brooke easily recognized the song as one of Haley's latest, she had only heard it a couple of days ago in Peyton's studio. That can't be right… she just finished it. She looked at Julian then tugged on his pant leg when he wouldn't meet her gaze. He grinned at her and pointed again to the screen and mouthed the word, "watch." Haley's song played as various scenes of Tree Hill flashed by on the screen. Suddenly there was her Sam then Lucas, Peyton, Nathan… and they were acting! Tears gathered in her eyes as Brooke realized she had read these words before. This was the script Julian had written for her so many months ago. Sam played Brooke while everyone else obviously played themselves, well except for Victoria. Her mother was played by none other than Skillz dressed in horrible drag. Julian had stopped watching the film once Brooke's attention was focused on the screen. He could only watch Brooke as she laughed and cried in reaction to her friend's dreadful acting and butchery of his words.
The final scene showed "Brooke" and Julian holding hands and walking away from the camera down the beach. As the screen faded to black another of Haley's songs began to play as the screen went black then the words "wait, there's more" scrolled across the screen. The lights started to come up softly. Julian handed Brooke a wrapped gift and she smiled at him through the tears in her eyes. She ripped the paper to discover the same copy of Atlas Shrugged Julian had bought for her the first time they met. He once again flipped the cover open and she saw his now familiar handwriting with his phone number and "Julian," but underneath there was a new inscription.
She looked up at Julian with questioning eyes then saw the movie screen. Just in case her eyes were deceiving her, the screen reaffirmed what was printed in the book.
Will you marry me, Brooke Davis?
Julian took her hand then slipped out of his chair to fall onto his knee in front of her. Speechless, she squeezed his hand and frantically nodded her head "yes." The silent acceptance of his proposal was all Julian needed. He reached into his pocket and instead of handing her a receipt he slipped a diamond ring onto her finger.
Brooke continued to cry as Julian kissed her lips and pulled her up for an embrace.
"Damn! She said no." Brooke and Julian turned to see the cast of the film entering the theater. Julian laughed and Brooke couldn't remember a time he smiled more or looked so happy. Lucas, Peyton, Haley, Nathan, Skillz, Mille, Mouth, Jamie, even Sam rushed into the theater to congratulate the two.
The group of friends remained in the theater for another hour toasting with champagne (and ginger ale for Sam and Jamie) as the group celebrated. Eventually it was time to return home. Julian, Sam, and Brooke walked back through downtown to retrieve the car from the bistro. Julian watched Brooke proudly show off her ring to Sam who simply rolled her eyes. She had seen it plenty of times before and had actually helped Julian pick this particular ring over a month ago. Watching mother and daughter laugh and squeal excitedly over wedding plans and details, Julian couldn't help but shake his hand and grin. He was a man who had found perfection.