A/n: A quick thank you to everyone for all the awesome reviews…you guys rock!

A special shout out to inScense09 for catching up and reviewing every single chapter!

Also there's this scene here that might catch you by surprise. Honestly I have no idea where it came from, it just kinda wrote itself.

Chapter Twelve

Broken Soul

Sadness.

Anger.

Fear.

Pain.

You named it, Brooke felt it.

She never thought that at such a young age, she would have gotten married and then three months later would have buried her late husband. But life was like that sometimes.

Unfair, cruel and unpredictable.

It had been a month since Julian's death and three weeks since his funeral. Needless to say Brooke hadn't been the same ever since then. It was like she lost a part of herself when Julian died and in a way it made sense. For the past three years of her life Julian had been an intricate part of it. He was her first serious boyfriend and the first guy she had ever loved. He had been one of the few constants in her life and now he was gone just like that.

Brooke wanted to scream to the world how unfair it was that a man so young with so much life left to live was dead but she couldn't. She couldn't because at the moment she felt like she was no longer living herself. She barely ate, she barely slept. She didn't even dare to go out anymore because she didn't think she deserved to enjoy her life when Julian's was cut too short.

She blamed herself simple as that.

She needed to feel something; anything but all she felt at the moment was pain. She felt this emptiness deep inside her, one that didn't want to leave her. And in some sick, twisted way she welcomed it because at least she was feeling something.

Everyone was worried about her but she didn't care. She stopped thinking about other people's feelings, about what they wanted from her a long time ago.

Maybe she was broken.

"Brooke? Honey?" Victoria called out, knocking gently on her door. "I'm heading out to the boutique now." she took a deep breath. "Would you like to come with me today?" she asked hopefully. Like it had been happening for the past month, she got no answer. "Umm Clay left to work already so if you need anything just call me okay?" she told her and again got no answer. "Well I'm going to be heading out now…sweetie I love you." Victoria said before finally leaving.

"Love you too mommy." Brooke whispered to herself and then began to softly cry like she had been doing for the past month.

She was broken and she was more than sure it was beyond repair.

"A bit early to be drinking, don't you think?" Theresa remarked while she made her way to the living room of the Baker's home. She observed the older woman in front of her. Her hair was of a light color, cut up to shoulder length with a style that only certain people could pull off. She looked just like any other day except her eyes held a certain sadness to them and maybe a little something more that she couldn't quite place.

"Never too early for a drink my dear." Sylvia responded with an edge to her tone. "Peyton is not home in case you wanted to see her." Sylvia informed her.

"Actually I came to see you." Theresa said, surprising the older woman.

"Really? And for what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Theresa sat down on the couch near her trying to get comfortable. Sylvia stayed standing as she looked through the window of her home. Theresa stared at Sylvia sadly as the older woman remained looking through the window.

"I do the same thing when I'm here." Theresa randomly said after a while. Sylvia slowly turned around giving her a confused look. "I stand in front of that same window waiting for his car to come through the gates and for him to climb off it. I keep wishing that he would come through that door," she stood up pointing at the front door. "laughing at whatever stupid thing Alexander has just told him like if nothing ever happened to him." She took a deep breath, her emotions suddenly getting the best of her. "But in the end it's all just wishful thinking because it's been a month since he passed away and I still can't accept the fact the he's gone forever."

"Theresa…" She took a drink from her glass. "Why did you come see me?" she asked coolly.

"You were the only one who really understood my feelings for Julian. I just…I don't know how to live my life without him. I miss him so much."

"Theresa…"

"I know I shouldn't be bothering you with this because it's obvious you're suffering more but I don't have anyone Sylvia. Peyton is so closed off that I don't even know how to approach her and you know I've never gotten along with Alexander."

The older woman went to Theresa setting her drink down on the nearest table. "It's been a rough month for all of us hasn't it?"

Theresa nodded in agreement and without saying much Sylvia hugged her. Silent tears suddenly came to both women as they embraced. One month since Julian's death had barely passed and the wound was still very much fresh.

"I'm sorry." a tearful Theresa apologized. "I really shouldn't have come. I just didn't know who else to turn to."

"It's alright sweetie, I needed this too. Alexander and Peyton have isolated themselves, grieving in their own way while I've been trying hard not to fall apart."

"Do you…do you regret the past few months regarding your arguments with Julian?" Theresa suddenly asked. Sylvia wondered why she would ask that all of a sudden. "Is just that I feel that if I would have acted differently, then I could have spent more time with him instead of having the distance we had with each other."

"I regret a lot of things Theresa. And yes unfortunately that is one of the things I regret the most. If I wouldn't have been so stubborn then I could have been at my son's side throughout his last days. My hatred towards Brooke blinded me and regrettably it cost me dearly."

"So your hatred for Brooke…?"

"It's still there. As long as she stays the hell away from me we won't have any problems."

"Hey there Chase." Haley brightly greeted the young dark-haired man behind the bar. "How's it going?" she asked as she sat down on her usual table next to the bar.

"Hey Haley…things are great, you?" Chase asked back, happy to finally have some company. Sure there were other people like a few waitresses he sort of knew and Mr. Parker who was in his office at the moment but Haley and Owen were the only two he considered his true friends.

Haley simply shrugged her shoulders giving him a huge friendly smile. Things were actually going great for her. For once in her life things were perfect. Despite everything that had been going around her lately, she was actually in a pretty good mood today.

"Still missing Owen?" Chase asked and just like that her smile turned upside down. Owen unfortunately (for her) had taken some time off from work and had been away for two weeks already on a supposed business trip. He told her he was going to Orlando to get some possible business investors for a bar he wanted to open in New York but Haley suspected Owen just wanted a few weeks away from all the drama.

"Yeah…didn't think I would miss him this much but I do." she said, giving him a small smile from her seat. "With everything that's going on right now I just miss Owen."

"Me too…being a bartender in especially Owen's temporary replacement is harder than I thought it was going to be." Chase confessed to her. Although Owen had been training him and Chase knew the basics of bartending, Owen left some pretty big shoes to fit into.

"Well that's why I'm here for." Haley smiled warmly at him. She promised Owen that while he was away she was going to do everything she could to help Chase and make things easier for him and so far she had. Since the day she met him, Chase had proven to be a decent guy so she had no problem lending him a hand.

"Want me to help you set up for tonight?" she asked, already getting up from her seat.

"But of course." Chase immediately brightened up, giving her a pearly white smile.

"Lucas!" Victoria exclaimed relief to see the blond man in front of her. She was happy to see him again like she had been seeing him for the past month without fail. "Thank you for always coming despite that you've had no progress so far." she said giving him a long hug. "Come in Lucas, come in." she ushered him inside her home, Lucas as always feeling quite welcome.

"How is she doing today?" Lucas asked worriedly with a slight urgency in his tone.

Victoria sighed deeply. "Still the same if not worse." she told him sadly. Lucas frowned, not at all happy to hear that. Ever since the accident, Lucas had been coming to the Davis household to check on Brooke who had shut down completely from the world after Julian's death. He knew this was something that couldn't be overcome easily and that Brooke needed time to eventually get passed it but as the days passed her situation only kept getting worse. It hurt to see her the way she was but it hurt even more knowing he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"But she did came out a few days ago…she went to Julian's grave though." Victoria continued on. Lucas smiled slightly not sure how he felt about that. Sure he was happy she at least came out of her room once but the fact remained the same, she was still stuck in her room not wanting to talk to anyone.

"Mind if I go up there now?" he asked Victoria. She simply shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what more she could say. Her daughter had been closed off from everyone including herself that she didn't have the heart to tell him that she thought it was hopeless at the moment to try anything.

Lucas quickly went upstairs already being familiar with the place and knocked gently on Brooke's bedroom door.

"Hey Cheery…it's Lucas again." he started off saying like he usually did when he came to see her. He waited for a bit, hoping for any kind of response. He got nothing as usual. "So umm listen I know you're probably getting tired of people telling you to open up and come out so I won't tell you that even though I really wished you did."

He slid down, leaning against the wall. "So I had an interesting day today. I know you probably don't care but Peyton stopped by my office earlier. She told me some stuff that I really don't want to share with you right now. I never thought I would say this but she was acting like a total bitch." he told her and smiled slightly when he heard a faint scoff from behind her door. It was a reaction at least. "Mouth told me it was because she was PMS-ing, which I never wanted to ever think about." Lucas said making a face. "Reminds me though…you really need to meet him. He's a great guy and I'm kinda shocked I never introduced you guys…"

Lucas then started telling her more about his day and in the meantime Brooke listened as his voice got louder and began to give full details of what was going on outside her door. She wanted to just open her door and let Lucas all the way in but she couldn't. She was empty, numb to the world and that feeling wasn't leaving her any time soon. She desperately wanted to feel something, anything but then Sylvia's voice would appear saying how Julian's death was her fault and then she would completely break down. She didn't deserve to feel an ounce of happiness so that's why she was holed up in her room.

Lucas looked at his wrist watch and noticed that it was almost time for him to go. He leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes tight. "I miss you, you know? I miss talking to you, like really talking to you. And what we've been doing for the past month doesn't count." he chuckled a bit before he turned serious. "I miss your laugh and how when you smile those adorable dimples appear. I miss the way you kink your eyebrows when you're trying to be cute. I even miss your nonstop talking and believe me that's saying something."

Brooke smiled slightly at this but then shook her head. She wasn't supposed to feel anything that wasn't remorse or pain. But would it be that bad to want to feel something, in especially if it came from Lucas?

"Anyways what I'm trying to say is, I miss you Brooke, we all do actually and I know what you're going through can't be easy but I just want you to know that if you ever need something that I'll be there for you...you can always count on me." He got up from the floor and rested his head against her door.

Brooke was now leaning against her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms were hugging them tightly as she sat there with silent tears down her face. "Just go please." she whispered to herself as she willed her body to not stand up and open the door. "Please just go." she cried softly because she knew she was losing the battle.

"You're my best friend Brooke and I just want my Cheery back…please." Lucas told her and then turned around swiftly, her silence hurting him more than he led on.

Brooke stood up quickly, her hand on the door ready to open it but then released it when she heard his footsteps leaving. She couldn't take this anymore and she knew she had to do something to fix this but she didn't know what.

He was sitting down in a bar, one that reminded him of the one he worked in, when he saw her. She was slim figure with some beautiful shade of green-emerald looking eyes and deep red luscious straight hair. She walked to the front of the bar like if she owned it and a drink was immediately set in front of her. She turned around and their eyes locked for a brief moment before he looked down to his drink.

He smirked, thinking she must have been a regular to be treated how she was being treated. He laughed quietly and then shook his head as he began to think about the deal he was so closed to making. He just needed one investor, just one and he would be that much closer to opening a bar that he could call his own. Of course it was easier said than done but he was determined to come back to New York with already made plans to open a bar of his own. He was so into his thinking that he didn't notice when a warm body sat next to him.

"You're new here aren't you?" a woman's voice asked, leaning close to him. He shrugged his shoulders not at all feeling like talking to anyone at the moment.

"I saw the way you looked at me when I first came in." she continued on even though she knew he was trying his best to ignore her. He turned slightly curious to see who was talking to him and saw the woman from earlier. He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. He had to admit that she was even prettier from a much closer look.

"I just wanted to let you know that you have no chance in hell with me." she told him firmly as she turned her stare to what was in front of her.

"Who says I want you?" Owen finally said something as he took a drink from his glass.

The woman smirked. "Sweetie every guy in this room does but I have made sure to let them know I'm taken."

"Pretty cocky aren't you?"

"It's true isn't it?" she asked kinking her eyebrow at him. He made a move and ran his eyes up and down her body. She had a point, she was hot and she was very much desirable at the moment. He looked around the bar and noticed that most eyes were on him and the red-head. Some were even shooting hated glares at him.

"If you say so."

"You're cute." she stated, locking eyes with him once more.

"No I'm Owen." he teased making her smile somewhat.

"Rachel." she found herself sharing her name with the stranger not knowing why.

"Didn't ask." Owen smirked and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Ass." Rachel hissed, making him chuckle. They remained quiet for a bit after that. Owen shooting sneaky glances at her whenever the opportunity rose and Rachel trying to pretend she didn't notice when he did.

"Want another drink?" he asked when he saw she was already finished with hers.

"Sure why not?" Rachel agreed smiling at him in the process. He was like a breath of fresh air for her. One of the first few guys that wasn't trying to get in her pants. Of course she would never try something with him because like she told him she was taken but some innocent flirting wouldn't hurt right? And besides what her husband didn't know wouldn't kill him.

Soon enough Owen found himself in a very intimate conversation with Rachel that he was enjoying very much. They were joking along the way poking fun at each other and if he was being honest with himself he was starting to like the presumptuous red-head. It was strange because usually he was a reserved person towards strangers but with Rachel he almost felt at eased.

It wasn't until later in the night when he noticed the rock diamond ring adorning her finger and his smile faltered a bit before he quickly composed himself. Of course with his luck she would be married, only question was…who was the lucky bastard?

"Just get in there you jackass!" Nathan muttered to himself as he stood outside the entrance of Safe Haven. "Get in there, find her, apologized and leave."

He took a deep breath knowing that what he was about to do was something out of character for him. Never in his life did he ever felt the urge to apologize to anyone that wasn't his family. But Haley James was different and he needed to make amends with her because what she told him the last time they talked really hit him hard.

Nathan stepped inside the bar that seemed to be more crowded than usual. He started looking for the petite honey blond but there was no sign of her. It was practically impossible to look for her with all these people in the way.

"What's going on here?" he asked a random guy next to him.

"Dude its Karaoke night!" the guy exclaimed happily.

"Kara-what?" Nathan said feeling confused at the moment. "What in the world is Karaoke night?" he asked the same guy again but he made a 'shhh' noise when someone started to sing.

Come on skinny love, just last the year

Pour a little salt, we were never here

My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my

Nathan couldn't help but to feel a sense of serenity when he heard that angelic voice of some girl sing. He felt captivated, her voice was sweet and yet powerful at the same time. He found himself being pulled towards the source of the voice.

Quickly he began to make his way through the crowd wanting to see from who that voice was coming from. He pushed and shoved until he was standing right in front of the girl with the beautiful voice. His breath caught in his throat when he realized that the angelic voice was none other than Haley James.

And I told you to be patient

And I told you to be fine

And I told you to be balanced

And I told you to be kind

She felt him; she could feel his eyes on her. She looked at him quickly before averting her eyes somewhere else as she continue to do what she loved the most. Singing was her passion and she wasn't going to let Nathan Scott ruin this moment for her.

Who will love you?

Who will fight?

Who will fall far behind?

Come on skinny love

My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my

When Haley finished the song, the crowd was going crazy, applauding as loud as possible. Nathan joined in feeling something inside of him from seeing Haley that he had never felt before. It was like if he was seeing her for the first time all over again.

Their eyes locked and Nathan smiled hesitantly at her while she shot him a glare before she came down the stage set up earlier for Karaoke night. He quickly followed her but it was proven to be almost impossible with the mass of people in front of him.

"Wait Haley!" Nathan yelled after her. He saw her turned the corner and hasten his step to catch up to her. He rounded the corner and was surprised to see her leaning against the wall.

"I figure we should just get this lovely conversation over with." Haley told him, not really bothering to look at him which for some unknown reason made him frown. "I knew you weren't going to stop until you got your way so talk."

Nathan smiled a bit, she knew him so well. "I umm I heard you singing." he blurted out without thinking.

"I know you were right in front of me in case you forgot." she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Listen I-I uhh I…"

"Nathan what do you want?" she asked in exasperation. "It's been a long good month since we last saw each other and now all of a sudden you appear again?"

He took a deep breath. "I-I just came to tell you I'm sorry."

"What?" Haley questioned in an incredulous tone, her eyes finally meeting his.

"I'm sorry for everything I put you through in the last couple of months." He scratched the back of his neck all of a sudden feeling nervous with Haley looking at him the way she was.

"Seriously?" she asked suspiciously.

"I have no reason to lie to you Haley. I just wanted to apologize to you for acting like a pompous dick. I never should have assumed you were that kind of girl nor should I have chased you when clearly you weren't interested in me." He turned to leave, a sense of relief washing over him.

"Nathan." her soft but firm voice stopped him. "What brought this on?" Haley asked curiously. She wanted to know what was going on with him. Nathan wasn't acting like that womanizing pig she met a few months ago and honestly she was confused as to what had caused this sudden change.

He shoved his hands in his pockets not sure if he really wanted to share his reasons with her. After their last conversation he realized he had been acting like a complete idiot. It took a long month but her words made him realize that he didn't want to be this guy anymore.

"Doesn't really matter." Nathan told her, not meeting her inquisitive stare. "I just…I'm sorry okay."

"How can I even trust you?" she asked. "Just when I finally think you're done playing games with me you go and do something to prove me wrong. So tell me Nathan how can I trust that you're being sincere with me now?"

"You don't have to." He shrugged his shoulders. "But again why would I lie to you?"

"Oh I don't know…to get inside my pants?" she retorted pointedly.

Nathan sighed in frustration. Haley was never going to believe that what he was saying was all true but he couldn't blame her. He was the one that gave her reasons to doubt him in the first place.

"The last time we talked you made me realize a couple of things. One that I was pretty much being an arrogant dick." he grinned, making her smile a bit. "Two that I wasn't treating you right. And three that I…that I didn't like the guy that I was becoming."

Haley remained quiet. She was honestly speechless at the moment. For the first time in her life she had no idea what to say. Here Nathan Scott, the arrogant jackass who had been constantly trying to sleep with her, not only apologized (an apology that seem sincere) but told her she made him realize things about himself.

"You've literally turned my life upside down so umm thank you." Nathan confessed, giving her a faint smile. "I uhh gotta go but I'll see you around…Haley James." He spun around and started walking towards the exit.

"Hey Nathan!" Haley called after him making him turn around. She smiled at him. "Definitely." she simply said, catching him by surprise before she left heading towards the bar.

He shook his head and turned to leave once more, a smile instantly on his face. He was happy, happier than he had ever felt in years and it was all thanks to Haley, a girl he didn't think much at first but that now was making a huge difference in his life.

Lucas was fast asleep when the sudden knocks on his door and the persistent ringing of the doorbell woke him up abruptly. He tiredly looked at the clock on his nightstand and cursed quietly when he realized it was a quarter after one.

He got up slowly wondering who in the hell would be waking him up at this time of the night. Dressed in just his pajama pants and a white shirt, he tiredly made his way towards the door as he tried to rid himself of his sleepy state.

"I'm coming!" Lucas yelled when the knocking and ringing started getting more persistent. "What!" Lucas snapped once he opened the door only to be met with the sight of a stoic looking Brooke Davis. He was surprised and confused to see her outside his apartment door. "Brooke? What are you doing here?" he asked and saw how she softened a bit before she turned back to how she was, emotionless.

"Can I come in?" she asked and he quickly moved out of the way letting her know she could. Once inside Lucas asked her again what she was doing here but instead of answering she started looking around the room. She had a thoughtful expression on her face like if she was contemplating something.

"Brooke?"

"You told me earlier if I ever needed something that I could always count on you." Lucas nodded his head, glad that she was finally reaching out to him. "Well I need something." Brooke said as she started getting closer to him.

"What do you need Brooke?" he asked tentatively and saw how her face turned into something more determined.

"I just...I just need to feel something Luke." she said in a broken voice that made Lucas's heart stop.

This time he took a step forward. "What do you need to feel Brooke?" he asked curiously.

"You." Brooke simply whispered and without saying much more she pulled his face towards her and crashed her lips to his. Lucas was too shocked at first to do anything but then he realized what was happening and knew immediately that it was wrong.

"Brooke…" Lucas tried pulling away but she wouldn't let him. She wanted to feel something and needed him at this moment so badly. "Wait Brooke…s-stop." Lucas groaned when she wiggled herself closer to him. Her lips started trailing down his jawline and to his neck, sucking ever so gently on his skin and his eyes rolled back at the pleasure he was feeling. "B-Brooke…what are you doing?" he managed to say as he circled his arms around her petite waist to bring her closer.

"I already told you Luke," Brooke nipped at his ear, sucking on it and making him moan in pleasure. "I need you." she whispered before her lips came back to his.

Lucas's mind started to fog up. All he could hear, taste and feel was Brooke Davis and it was finally getting to him. His reasoning flew out the window and he started to kiss her back passionately. She smirked knowing that she had him and kissed him back, her arms going around his neck.

Without thinking, he picked her up effortlessly, her legs instantly wrapping themselves around his waist and started carrying her towards his bedroom. Kissing her along the way Lucas marveled at the beauty that was all wrapped around him. He set her down on his bed, his body instantly covering hers. He looked down at her and smiled sweetly at her.

God she was beautiful.

Her eyes were still that hazel hue that drew him in the first time he saw her. She was still that beautiful girl he met months ago and he couldn't believe she was lying on his bed with him. This seemed like a dream, one he didn't want to wake up from anytime soon.

"Lucas, why did you stop?" Brooke asked, her chest heaving up and down in a rhythmic pattern.

"You're beautiful." he told her, his eyes filled with love and lust. "So fucking beautiful." he repeated as he started to kiss her once more. He didn't notice the small blush that that crept on her cheeks or the way her heart started speeding up. This was exactly why she came here in the first place. After a month of not being able to feel anything but pain and emptiness, she needed to feel something and Lucas was making her feel just that.

"I need you," she breath in, wrapping her arms around him to bring him even closer. "God I need you." she said, kissing him roughly on the lips. In a quick move she flipped them around so that his back was on the bed and she was straddling him. She grinded her hips against his and felt him react to her even more. She smiled happy that she was able to get this kind of reaction from him.

Hastily she pulled off his white shirt wanting to fully feel him and her eyes instantly went to his now naked torso. She knew he was built but to actually see him and be able to touch him made her need for him turn into want. She ran her up and down his chest and she smirked when she saw the way his eyes closed at her touch. She saw how he shivered when she faintly ran her nails on his chest making small patterns along the way.

"You like that Luke?" she questioned as she circled her finger around his belly button.

"God…Brooke, what are you doing to me?" he groaned when she started trailing kisses up his muscle toned chest. His skin was on fire, every time she touched him it was like he was about to burst in flames from her touch. She pulled her shirt off and tossed it across the room, his eyes immediately on her half naked body.

His eyes roamed all over her, every inch, every curve, taking in every area of pure perfection that she was and his mouth ran dry. She was beyond beautiful in her simple yet sexy black bra and laced panties.

She was a Goddess, beautiful and perfect in his eyes.

"Want me Broody?" Brooke asked when she saw his hungry lustful stare. He nodded his head frantically. "Say it." she ordered, her lips hovering above his. "Tell me how much you want me."

"I-I want you Brooke…God I want you so much." Lucas exclaimed and in a swift move he flipped them around, his hips rolling into her making Brooke moan in pleasure. "Can't you feel it?" he breathlessly asked.

"I want you too." she told him as she began to pull down on his pajama bottoms. "So damn much." Brooke said crashing her lips against his. She was hoping that this was going to be a night she was never going to forget.

To Be Continued…

Yes I know evil lol. I want your honest opinion though, do you guys think they should go through it or should Lucas' morals kick in? I already know how it's going to go down between them but I'll take into consideration what you all want. And don't worry, Brooke's behavior will be better explained next chapter along with why Lucas gave into temptation so easily.

Anyways you guys know the drill:

Please Review!