AU - Thank you for the reviews, I just want to make sure that this chapter is going in and out of flashbacks.

Leaning against the wall, Brooke slowly pulled herself up so she was now standing.Though she wasn't fully upright as the pain she was in from where she was kicked repeatedly in the stomach was too much for her. She walked along the corridor and into the bathroom. Haley was out so she didn't need to be care full like she did most nights. Brooke slipped through the door clutching at her stomach and flipped on the light switch. Looking in the mirror she teld back the tears. Her face now bruised from his beating earlier. She had passed out in the hallway, obviously where he had left her. Her eyes fell to her top which was covered in blood, she lifted the material up looking at her body, groaning in pain as she did. Black and blue bruises all over her stomach. She pulled it off in one quick swift motion wincing afterwards at the pain it caused. With her head pounding in pain, it had been bashed from piller to post she moved backwards towards her bed and let herself fall onto it dritfting off into sleep.

She was awoken by a familuar voice, it was Lucas. She cursed and tried to get up quickly causing extreme pain. She let out a small moan and sat on the bed clutching her stomach. Lucas smiled admiring his handy work.

"You only did this cause I told you that I don't want to be with you anymore. I hate you."

There she did it again. She set him off. Knowing what was next she closed her eyes preparing for the next beating.

Booke sat up quickly, awaking from her sleep. She looked around and let out a small sigh, it was only a dream she said to herself. Rachel who was currently sitting by her window looked at her and frowned.

"Brooke, whats wrong?"

She looked at her and gave her a small smile "Nothing, just a nightmare." She mumbled looking around the room. Even in her sleep that jackass could mess with her.

"What about?" Rachel asked as she walked over to her putting her arm around her, rubbing her arm with her thumb softly.

"Him."

She nodded and brought her into her lap, smiling as Brooke let out a small giggle "He's away now, theres nothing he can do."

Brooke nodded. She knew that it was over but that didn't stop her from thinking about him. She didn't want to she just did. He was in her thoughts and she couldn't get him out of them. She hated him, she really did. For the first time in her life she really hated someone. When you are angry you tell people you hate them and of course you don't mean it but when she utterd those words to Lucas she really meant it. He was a total stranger to her and that was hard for her to accept. It was hard to think that he was capable of doing something like that. Something so horrendous and causing so much damage. Not only physically but mentally. Her head was so messed up because of him. When she first met him she felt like she was a lower person than him, she felt like she was not good enough for him. She wanted to change herself just for him. That hurt more than anything. In her life she wasn't close to that many people, he was one of the few she was close to. He had taught her things and been on her side. But now that relationship was gone, long gone. Never again would they get that back. Never again would he get the love that she once offered him, that was gone the moment his hand met her flesh.

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked knowing that she was thinking about things.

"Yeah."

"You can talk to me about it." She said kissing the back of her head. She took Rachels hand in her caressing it with her thumb and didn't reply "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Brooke answered with a smal smile "I guess it was just cause of everything that happened today at school it just got me thinking about him again."

The news about Lucas being in jail had gotten out and already people were drawing their own conclusions as to what had happened. Brooke of course being involved in most of them. The fact that for the last year she walked around with her arm in a sling half the time and the fact that people noticed things about her before, like her cut lips and bruises on her body and sudden mood changes that she tried her best to hide. She tried her best to shrug off everyones comments, her friends helping her out. Suprisingly people werent that bad. Not as bad as she thought they would be. Knowing that they would find out at some point she had prepared herself for the wost. People were fine though, of course everyone had their comments about what a jackass Lucas was and she got a few extra stares than she would have liked to but other than that it was ok. Though when school was over she was glad and she hoped that today it would all have been forgotten or atleast something new would happen and everyone could turn their attention to that instead.

She smiled "You are bound to think about him at times, he isn't going to just drop out of your thoughts."

"How come your up anyway?"

"You." Brooke raised a brow and she smiled "You went all Rocky on me in your sleep and started punching me."

Brooke bit her lip "Oh right, sorry."

She let out a small chuckle "Its alright, I figured you were having some kind of nightmare."

"Yeah." She whispered wanting to forget about it.

Knowing this Rachel smiled "I forgot to tell you, earlier Peyton came up to me and she was being weird. Like she kept on saying stuff like it's cool how me and you have gotten so close and she was asking if I was dating anyone because I looked like I was, she kept going on about it."

The brunette laughed "What else was she saying about us?"

"That we looked comfortable and happy around each other."

"You think she knows about us?" Brooke asked turning to Rachel.

"She was at the hospital with us all night and we werent hiding anything so she has to know, she probally saw what Mouth saw. I guess we have to work on being sly."

Brooke nodded "Yeah and you are always all over me."

Laughing she shoved her girlfriend and shook her head "Whatever." Bringing her hand up to her arm she rubbed it looking down at the bruising "How is it?"

"Fine."

"The bruising has gone down." Rachel kissed her arm sending shivers down Brookes spine. Seeing a look on her face that Rachel couldn't read she wrapped her arms around her waist "You ok?"

"I'm good." Brooke smiled.

"Hey Rachel." Peyton said smiling as she approached her locker for the seond time that day. Rachel hoped that it wasn't as awkward as the first time.

Rachel smiled at the blonde "Peyton, hey whatsup?"

"Nothing, just getting my pad." She pointed down to the drawing book in her arms that she was rarley seen without.

"You always have that."

"I get inspierd here." She said sarcasticly "You know school shootings and pill poping moms comming into the class, it's all fun." She laughed and looked around looking for the familuar face. Peyton chuckled causing her to look at her, confusion in her features "Looking for Brooke?"

"No." She lied.

"I think that it's great you two have each other...as friends."

"Right." Rachel said nodding slowly.

"I can't imagine what you guys are like with the guys." She said trying her best not to laugh.

"What?"

"You two, your both boy crazy." Peyton said smiling a little too much.

"Yeah." She trailed off looking away.

"Are you dating anyone?"

She shook her head "No."

"Oh, I just thought, I mean you look really happy. Like you were dating someone, you have that glow."

Rachel was so confused, where was all of this comming from? And what fucking glow? She just smiled and nodded her head "Yeah I am." She waved it off "What about you, have you got your eye on anyone?"

Peyton laughed "I attract all the wrong people."

She shrugged "It's like slim picking here anyway."

"That's why when you find someone good, you should make sure to hold onto them."

The both shared a look and Rachel smiled "Well when I do...I will."

As the girls talked Brooke asked Rachel a question she had been wanting to ask for a while. Rachel shook head head "I don't want to talk about that, it's in the past."

"You nearly died." Brooke said softly.

"But I didn't and now I'm here with you, really I'm fine." Rachel smiled and pulled Brooke back bringing her even closer "Seriously I'm fine, if I ever need to talk about it I will. I don't need to right now."

It was something that she had thought about. She would always think about what would have happened if it went the other way around. She was lucky to surive that and she was thankfull for it but it wasn't something she wanted to dwel on.

"Then why are you thinking about it right now?" Brooke asked knowing her thoughts.

She laughed at this, it was amazing how they could do that with each other "I mean it's something I think about sometimes. Theres nothing to say about it though, it could have been serious but it wasn't. When I woke up I found out about you and I was just worried that you wouldn't make it."

"You've been there for me I should be there for you."

"It isn't even like that." Rachel replied shaking her head "Really I'm totally fine, we are here together and that is all that matters to me right now." She nodded her head and Rachel smiled "Thanks though."

She smiled and gave a small shrug "Whatever, leaving me out of the loop."

"Shut up." She laughed.

Brooke turned around in their embrace and smiled at her leaning down, with their faces less than a breath apart, she gently rubbed their noses together .Rachel grinned and whispered "You know, since you woke me up you should repy me, you can either cook me something or you know..." Bringing her teeth to Brookes ear. She caught it inbetween them, smiling at Brookes adorable giggle.

"I can't cook." Brooke replied turning her head to the side so she was facing Rachel.

She grinned "Nuh uh."

"Nuh uh." She repeated inching closer to her, Rachel doing the same. Their lips seconds away before Brooke pulled back "Practice makes perfect though right?" She flashed her dimples and tapped her on the nose.

Rachel groaned "You suck."

"Whatever Tyson." The brunette said raising her eyebrow in the cute way that she always did. She then brought her arm to her waist pulling her closer. She loved being in her arms, it felt safe. It felt right. Her nightmare still fresh in her mind, Brooke remembred what happened after she woke up.

After falling passing out again after what Lucas did to her she woke up to Rachel who was lying next to her. Before Lucas had came back she called her and she promised that she would come by, and she did. Brooke gave her a lazy smile and winced as she tried to get herself up. Rachel took her into her arms and pulled her up, steadying her as she rocked back and forth finding it hard to get her balance. She let her eyes roam the brunettes body, her eyes meeting Brookes gaze, her concern evident.

"He did it again." She said stroking her arm "Are you in pain? Fuck I mean of course you are."

Brooke shifted her gaze from Rachel to the floor "No I'm not, it only hurts for a bit, I get used to it after a while."

"You shouldn't need to get get used to it, you shouldn't need to deal with it at all." She replied in a stressed tone which showed how concerned she was for her friend.

Brooke cursed herself for calling her and making her worry like this. She shouldn't have called. It was her fault, she let him do it to her. She took herself out of the taller girls embrace and walked over to her wardrobe and started to look for another top as she was currently only in a bra and jeans. Rachel walked over to her slowly and pulled her to her carefully. She kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Leave that, lets just get you to bed ok?"

She gave her a small smile and nodded her head following her to the bed, their hands clasped together. Brooke lay down on the bed and Rachel lay beside her placing her hand on her stomach. She sighed as she couldn't think of anything to say, her friend was hurting bad and all she could do was sit and stare. There were no words that she could say that would make any of this better, she wished there was. Brooke knew that and was just happy that she was there with her.

Finding her voice she spoke "Do you want to come to mine?" Brooke shook her head. She was way too worn out to even move. "What if Haley comes back?"

"Nathans." She mumbled resting her head in the crook of Rachels neck.

She smiled and ran her hand through her soft hair "Go to sleep sweetie, I've got you."

she let herself close her eyes and fell into an exhausted sleep, while Rachel sat up watching the girl who consumed the majority of her thoughts. The girl she was falling for.

OTH

Dan scott walked into the visiting room with the smug smile that was on his face ninety nine percent of the time. You wouldn't think visiting your son in jail was something to be smug about but Dan didn't think like everyone else did. When his eyes fell on his son he let out a small chuckle. Sitting with his head down avoiding anyones gaze, he looked truely lost. So lost that he didn't notice anyone sit down infront of him.

He grinned "Hello, son."

Looking up Lucas closed his eyes "What are you doing here? Leave me alone."

"Why are you in such a bad mood, orange not your color?"

"If you came to rub it in how much I messed up, you can forget it." He said looking at his dad.

"I'm here to help you, I doubt your mother will know how to get you out of this." Dan replied keeping his voice low.

Lucas sighed "You can't get me out of this, they arleady told me that."

Laughing he shook his head "Son, they tell you anything to get what they want out of you, just listen to what I have to say." He nodded his head and slumped down his chair, his arms folding. Dan smiled and carried on talking. "This is your first offence so that will help you out."

"I tried to run away from the police."

"You were scared you paniced, you didn't know what to do." He replied telling his son how to feel "Relax, that wont do that much damage to your sentence. If this was anyonw else this would be a huge problem." Dan smiled "Everyone else doesn't have the mayor as their father, I'll get you out of this with nothing more than a smack on the wrist and some community service."

Lucas smiled "Are you serious?"

"Money talks."

Suspicious he squinted his eyes "And what is in this for you?"

"The only thing that I ask for is for you to look after your mother and your baby sister or brother, she wont accept my help. As hard as this may seem, I really do want the best for you guys. I won't make the mistake I made with you."

Lucas nodded his head, the same smug smile on dans face now on his "Thanks."

"No problem. Now I have a lunch meeting to go to, enjoy yours." He said with a chuckle "Oh and try not to take showers in here, unless you enjoy that kind of stuff."