A/n: Hey guys so sorry for this long wait. My laptop unfortunately is no longer working anymore. That's one of the main reasons I haven't been able to update or review some of my favorite stories. I tried getting it fixed but it was of no use so I have to get a new one. I don't know when that's going to happen seeing as I'm completely broke at the moment but hopefully soon. But good news is that I've been borrowing my cousin's laptop and using my school's computers so that was how this chapter was born.

Now a quick note about this chapter…things will seem to be going a bit fast and there's a reason for this. Next chapter there's going to be a one year time jump and I just want to patch a couple of things up before moving into something bigger that being Brucas finally getting together.

But anyways I just want to thank all those that have been constantly reviewing. Seriously guys if it wasn't for the lovely reviews I get every chapter I wouldn't be writing this story at all so thank you all! A special shout out goes to arubagirl0926 for being the 200th reviewer.

Chapter Fourteen

Mending What is Broken

Her head was pounding, making sleep pretty much impossible. The pounding wouldn't stop; it was as if a jack hammer was continuously drilling her head over and over again. She felt like…well honestly she felt like shit. She couldn't recall the last time she ever drank like this and maybe that was part of the problem. She wasn't used of drinking like this anymore and at this precise moment she realized why she stopped in the first place. She couldn't quite remember why she even drank like that last night and when she tried moving she found herself wrapped in the arms of someone.

Brooke immediately opened her eyes at the realization and prayed to the powers above that she didn't do what she thought she did. She groaned as she felt the pounding in her head get that much worse. Brooke brought her hand up and rubbed her forehead to get rid of the pain but it was impossible, the pain was here to stay. She slowly tilted her head to the right to look at the person she was next to and her eyes widen when she found it was Lucas.

Lucas? How on Earth did she ended up in his bed? Did they really…? She quickly lifted the covers and sighed in relieve when she saw he was fully clothed. It was strange that she was relieve they didn't do anything yesterday when only a few days ago she remember wanting to sleep with him, but she guessed that was how sometimes things worked out life. Although she still felt embarrassed by being rejected by him and her childish behavior, she was thankful with Lucas because she knew if they had gone through it; it would have been a mistake on their part.

Still…she couldn't remember how she ended up in his apartment. Blurry images started coming to her and it was making her head feel that much worse. She remembered their brief fight outside Safe Haven and how she pretty much acted like a bitch to him without having a reason. She remembered Haley and making a mess of things with her and that Nathan guy, not one of her proudest moments she quickly decided. But she also vaguely remembered talking to someone but she couldn't remember who. She shook her head and groaned, her hands instantly going to her head trying to make the pain go away. She was hurting so bad; immense pain ripping through her head and she felt like dying at the moment wouldn't be such a bad thing if it meant the pain would stop.

She needed something, anything to get rid of this headache but she wasn't in any position to move properly since Lucas' arms were still wrapped around her. She felt weird being all wrapped around by him but at least he was asleep.

"There's some aspirin on the nightstand to your left." Lucas mumbled tiredly. Brooke as painless as possible turned to look at him and saw that his eyes were still closed.

"How did you know?" she asked timidly feeling embarrassed at the moment.

"I figured." Lucas replied as he buried himself closer to her, making her flinch for a second before relaxing a bit in his arms.

"H-How did I even end up here…with you?"

"Why don't you take some aspirin and I'll tell you what happened." he suggested, releasing his hold on her.

"Okay." she softly responded and did just as she was told.

Once she took the aspirins with the water bottle that was also left on the nightstand, Brooke returned to the bed keeping her distance from Lucas by sitting down at the edge of it. She felt a bit awkward being with him in his bed after what almost happened between them here but she wanted to know how she ended up in his apartment in the first place.

"What happen Luke?" Brooke quietly asked, willing for the pain in her head to just go away already.

"How much do you remember from last night?" Lucas asked her sitting up to face her.

"Well…" Brooke racked her brain looking for an answer that wasn't coming to her easily. "I uhh…I remember talking to this really nice guy at this bar but that's as far as my memory goes."

"That nice guy happened to have been my friend Marvin or err…Mouth as he often likes to be called." he told her and saw how her eyes widen in surprise.

"I-I didn't know that." she quietly said. "I can't even remember half of what I did yesterday Lucas."

"I know." He reached for her hand lying on the bed but she pulled it away before his even made contact.

"What's wrong?" he asked her with a frown.

"What else happened?" Brooke asked, ignoring his question. Lucas frowned wondering what was wrong with her. He noticed how she kept her gaze from his and the way she was playing with her hands, a habit she had that indicated she was nervous.

"Just know that you got really drunk and if it wasn't for Mouth and Nathan then who knows what would have happened."

"N-Nathan?" Brooke questioned, feeling completely confused about his involvement. She didn't remember seeing him after she exposed him to Haley. Which she still felt bad about.

"Yeah he made sure you were alright and brought you here. He was actually really worried about you."

"I hurt him though." she whispered so quietly that Lucas barely heard what she said. "I ruined what he had with Haley. Why would he help me?"

"I don't think it mattered to him what you did." She gave him an 'are you sure' face. "Okay it did but I think he just knew how important you are to Haley and wanted to help you…for her."

That made Brooke feel even worst about what she did to him. She not only had some serious apologizing to do to Haley but to Nathan as well.

"I'm such a horrible person." she cried. "I don't even know why you put up with me."

"You know why."

"Lucas…"

"I know and I'm sorry it just came out."

"No, not…that." she assured him when she saw his fallen guilty face. "Lucas I've messed up badly with everyone. My mom, Clay, Haley and even a complete stranger like Nathan. I need to apologize to all of them…"

"Hey," he said, cupping her cheeks. "I'll help you. We'll figure something out okay?"

She closed her eyes allowing his touch for a few seconds before pulling away from him. He looked hurt for a brief second but just like that it was gone.

"What about you?" She took a deep breath and looked at him straight in the eyes. "With you I really messed up and I wanted-"

"It's okay." Lucas interrupted her, knowing where she was going with this.

"Luke let me apologize." she pleaded. "What I did a few days ago wasn't fair for you."

He shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't like I was really stopping you." he reminded her.

"You were trying to though." she insisted.

"But then I gave in."

"What about how I acted yesterday with that slut?" she said in a displeased tone.

Lucas grinned, his demeanor quickly changing. "Oh you were just jealous." he stated with a rare smug smirk which made Brooke rolled her eyes at him.

"I was not." she lied trying to avert her gaze from his. She totally was but she wasn't going to admit that to him.

"Yeah you were but I know you're not ready to talk about it so why don't we go grab some breakfast?" he proposed as he stood up from the bed and stretched out his body.

Brooke nodded her head in agreement even though breakfast was the last thing she wanted at the moment. She stood up from the bed too and began searching for her clothes. When she turned she came in contact with Lucas who was right behind her, making her gasp in surprise.

"Here," he said holding her clothes in his hand. "I put them by the chair last night."

"Umm…thanks." Brooke offered him a small smile. She noticed how close they were to each other and she was scared of what could happen. "Luke I-uhh…"

"Bathroom is over there." He pointed at a door as he stepped away from her. "I'll change here and I'll see you in a few."

Brooke nodded her head feeling a bit disappointed. At what? She didn't know. All she knew was that she was expecting more from him than just directions to his bathroom. She let out a deep sigh before heading towards the bathroom.

Not long after Brooke went inside the door, Lucas fell down to his bed feeling quite exhausted. He didn't think things were going to be this awkward between them. Yet he didn't blame Brooke for that because she just needed time to figure things out and as usual that's what he was going to give her.

His cell phone rang interrupting him from his thoughts. Wondering who could it be, he picked it up and wasn't at all surprised to see 'Momma Davis' flashing through the screen.

"Are you ready to go?" Lucas asked Brooke when she stepped into the living room fully dressed and ready to go.

"Umm yeah…so where are we going?"

"Oh just a little place I know that serves really good food." he replied with a smile.

"Okay let's go then." she said as she started heading towards the front door.

"Hey Brooke?" Lucas' voice stopped her in her tracks. "About what happened a few days ago…don't worry about it okay?"

Slowly she turned around, wrapping her arms around herself. "I made a fool of myself Lucas; I don't think I'll ever forget about that." she said with a frown.

"Just try please." he told her as he stood in front of her. "I don't want things to be awkward between us."

"I'll try but-"

"That's all I'm asking for." Lucas quickly interrupted her before grabbing her hand. "Now come on let's go because I'm starving."

When they started driving, Brooke didn't know where they were going to eat breakfast. Every time she asked, Lucas would answer with a 'you'll see' and left it at that. When they passed through familiar places, she still didn't know where they were going. And when Lucas turned and drove towards her neighborhood she was still confused as before.

"Luke, where are we going?" Brooke asked him for what it felt like the thousandth time.

"We're almost there don't worry." he replied cryptically. Lucas kept on driving and when he stopped in front of a familiar house, her heart started pounding fast in her chest.

"Lucas…why are we here?"

Lucas turned off the engine and looked at her. "Your mom called me this morning and was worried about you." Lucas told her and she hung her head feeling guilty about worrying her mom. She didn't mean to make her mom worry on purpose but she felt that for the pass month that's all she had been doing.

"Brooke I'm hungry, you you're still a bit hung over but I know you're going to want food soon and your mom is an amazing cook." he told her making Brooke look up at him. "I figure I could kill two birds with one stone." he remarked with a sneaky smile.

"Lucas Scott!" she hit him on his arm. "That is one of the sneakiest things I've ever seen in my life! If you think that for one second I am going to let you get away with this then you are mistaken. I can't believe that-"

"Brooke." he interrupted her rant smiling. "Your mom was just worried and she wanted to see for herself that you're okay."

"But Luke….she's going to be so mad and disappointed in me." Brooke told him frowning as she clasped her hands together and started playing with them. "I've only let my mom down once before and that was when I…when I married Julian the way I did." she whispered the last part, not sure she wanted to remember Julian right now.

"Brooke…" Lucas lifted her chin up making her look up at him. "Everything is going to be fine." he promised her, looking at her intently.

Brooke saw the sincerity in his eyes and she found herself believing in him. "Fine but if she gets mad at me…"

"Hmm…twenty two years old and still scared of your mom…how cute." he teased trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up!" she shoved him away playfully. Lucas looked at her and couldn't help but smile when he saw her dimple smile appear. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her smiling like this. Plus it seem like the awkwardness between them was gone.

"What?" she blushed when he just kept staring at her. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, I just like seeing you like this…happy." Lucas said, making her blush even more. Lucas tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and leaned in closer to her, feeling all sorts of things for her at the moment. "You're so beautiful." he whispered gently, looking at her in a way she had never been looked at before.

Both leaned in closer, Brooke feeling mesmerized with the way he was looking at her and the things he was making her feel. Just as their lips were about to touch, a tap on Lucas' window interrupted, making them pull apart instantly.

Clay grinning from ear to ear smiled widely at them which made them both blush furiously. "Ahem." Clay cleared his throat, signaling for Lucas to lower the window. He leaned in still grinning. "Hey lovebirds, nice to see you're finally giving into temptation but-"

"Clayton." Brooke growled, not sure if it was because he interrupted their kiss or because of what he was saying.

"Let me finish B." he grinned once again. "It's nice to see you two crazy kids finally giving into temptation but mom is waiting for you guys. She made a shit load of food that could probably feed the whole neighborhood so I suggest you two hurry before she comes out and drags you both in." he exaggerated which made Brooke rolled her eyes at him. "Now chop, chop, there will be plenty of time to finish what you started." Clay teased and Brooke gave him a look while Lucas simply chuckled.

They got out of the car, Brooke still looking quite embarrassed that she was caught by non-other than her brother. She could already hear the endless teasing from Clay and she wasn't looking forward to it.

"Hey Cookie, you feeling any better?" Clay asked when Brooke came around the car to stand next to Lucas just in front of him.

"I'm feeling much better Clay." Brooke answered, giving him a slight smile.

"I'm glad." Clay said giving her a one arm hug. He turned to look at Lucas who was looking at them with a fond smile. "Hey Luke can I have I have a word with you?"

Lucas nodded his head wondering what he wanted from him. "Just wait by the car and I'll be right back." he instructed Brooke when he saw her nervous face. She gave him a light nod and went to stand where he indicated.

"What's up man?" Lucas asked, hoping it didn't have anything to do with what almost happened in the car. He himself didn't know what had happened. All he knew was that he really wanted to kiss her and knew that if Clay wouldn't have interrupted, he would have.

"Let's walk." Clay simply said and both men began walking.

"Listen Clay if this is about what almost happened in the car-"

"I don't need any explanations." Clay interrupted. "As long as it makes my sister happy I'm cool with it. But don't you think it's too soon? Julian has only been gone for a month."

"We just got caught up in the moment Clay. Believe me I don't think she's ready either." Lucas explained carefully, knowing full well that Brooke needed time to heal. "So what's up man?"

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." he said, looking at Lucas in a way he didn't like.

"Yeah sure."

Clay sighed deeply. "You know we live off my mom's store and my part time job right?" Lucas nodded his head but other than that remained quiet and waited for Clay to continue. "Well business hasn't been looking too good lately. I mean it's never been too good but it's also never been that bad to the point where we start worrying. My part-time job isn't helping and on top of that I should have started my internship about a month ago but with everything that has been going on I couldn't. I might have to drop out of college and start working full time or get another job so I was wondering if you had something for me in your company."

"Clay…"

"It doesn't have to be anything big." Clay made sure to assure him. "Just whatever you have for me I'll do."

Lucas stood there quietly thinking about what Clay had just told and asked of him. Of course he wanted to help him but he knew dropping out of college and getting another job wasn't going to do him any good.

"Instead of getting another job, how about you come do your internship with my company." Clay looked at him like he had grown three heads. "You want to be a sports manager well my company is perfect for that."

"Thanks Luke but that really doesn't solve anything."

"It will be a paid internship Clay. Quit your other job if you want to and come work for me. You'll be able to support your family and you'll continue going to school."

"Lucas I can't! Is just too much and I shouldn't even be getting paid."

"Who says? Clay you're right and in some internships you don't get paid but I'm offering you a paying one. Think about it, you'll be getting the full experience and be working with some of the best professionals from your field. You're going to be helping my company out so it's only fair you get paid."

"Luke…"

"If you quit school now you'll only be letting your mom down. Brooke's sacrifice would have been in vain…remember you're doing this for your family." he reminded him. Clay thought and thought about what he was offering him. It all just sounded too good to be true.

"Lucas can you even make that happen?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up just in case.

"Not to brag or anything like that but I am the CEO remember? And what I say goes. Now come on I bet your sister is already biting her fingernails from all that worrying she's doing." Lucas grinned, slapping his back as both men began walking back.

"Thank you Lucas, I mean it. But not just for this but for everything you have done for my family in especially my sister."

"No problem Clay you know how I feel about her. Plus I've come to care for your family almost as if they were mine and I will do anything to help you guys out."

"Thanks again but Lucas not a word to Brooke about what we just talked. Mom doesn't want her to worry especially after what happened a month ago."

"Not a word." he promised as they kept walking.

"Where did you guys go?" Brooke asked when both guys finally returned.

"Just walking around." Lucas simply answered.

"Really?" she questioned suspiciously as she walked to stand next to him.

"Don't sweat it Cookie. Now give your CB a hug cause' I gotta go." Clay told her as he held his arms out for her.

"You're not staying for breakfast?" Brooke asked hugging him tightly. "And by the way it's Care-Bear ."

"Nope I got some things to do. And I shortened it to make it sound manlier." Clay told her giving her a sweet peck on her forehead. "Later Luke." he said, turning to see him. "And thanks again."

"See ya man and no problem." Lucas answered back and then Clay began walking away.

"What was that about?" Brooke sked curiously as she looked at her brother's retreating form.

"Just guy talk…you ready?" Brooke chose to ignore their odd behavior for the time being and nodded her head. She instantly took his hand in hers. Neither noticed that one gesture except for Clay who happened to turn around at that moment. He gave them a few months before they got together. He knew it sounded terrible considering Julian had just died a month ago but if it was what his sister wanted then he wouldn't judge.

"Oh and Brooke?" Clay said in a loud voice making both of them turn around to look at him. "It's nice to have you back little sis." he said winking at her before finally leaving.

"Hmm what do you think he meant by that?" Lucas mockingly asked with a wide smile.

"Shut up!" she said, playfully bumping her hip to his.

"I'm kidding but he is right and it's nice seeing the old Brooke back." Lucas told her as he stood in front of her. Their hands were still linked together as Lucas brought her closer to him. Brooke's heart was beating fast not knowing what was going to happen now. What almost happened in the car kept flashing through her head and a part of her wanted them to go through it. She wasn't exactly ready to be in any kind of relationship right now but kissing Lucas had felt so right and she just wanted to feel that again.

He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and leaned in closer to her. "Now why don't we go eat because I'm starving." Lucas said and started pulling her towards her house. Brooke feeling surprised at first that nothing happened between frowned slightly. Well this wasn't exactly what she was expecting and she honestly didn't know what to think of that.

He needed to see Quinn. Lately she had been lacking in the best friend department and he wasn't having any of it anymore. Sure he understood she had made a new friend in David and wanted to spend time with him but that didn't mean she had to dump her best friend for that guy.

Clay walked up to her apartment and knocked on her door. He waited and waited until finally the door flew open to reveal his best friend who seem like she was going out.

"Shit Clay I thought you were…wait what are you doing here?"

"Well good morning to you too my best friend. It's nice to finally see you. Me I'm doing well, how about you?" he sarcastically told her while rolling his eyes.

"Sorry Clay I just wasn't expecting to see you today. How are you?" she asked looking over his shoulder nervously. She knew that Clay wasn't too fond of David and since she was hanging out with him today she was scared of what his reaction was going to be when he found out.

"Like I said I'm doing well. I just haven't seen you in a while and thought…are you waiting for someone?" Clay asked when he saw her looking over his shoulder once again.

"Umm actually yeah I am." she said giving him a small smile.

"Who?" Clay asked despite having a feeling he already knew who it was. He hoped it wasn't David but he knew there was a huge possibility it was.

"David, he's taking me out for breakfast."

"You're having breakfast with David?" he frowned slightly.

"Yeah…Clay what's wrong?"

"I kinda thought that maybe we could do something today. We haven't hanged out in a while and well I've missed you." he said in a sincere tone.

Quinn felt bad about that but she had been hanging out with David helping him moved passed Julian's death that she forgot about everything else. Although she felt bad about it at the same time she didn't. David was a sweet, charming guy and lately he had been making her smile more than ever that she had forgotten about Clay. She knew it sounded horrible but when one was in her kind of situation where you were in love with the best friend who only had eyes for someone else, well having someone else to fill in the void felt incredible. It made her feel less lonely and like someday she might get over Clay.

"I know and I'm sorry for that but is just that I've been hanging out with David lately and well I've completely forgotten about other things."

"You mean like hanging out with me?' he asked giving her a look she knew too well.

"Don't be like that Clay." she sighed tiredly.

"Don't be like what Quinn? Because I think I have the right to be upset that I haven't really seen or talked to my best friend in weeks!" he pointed out fiercely.

"I'm sorry Clay but this is really important to me."

"Why?" he asked feeling all confused.

"Because he's a nice guy and I like hanging out with him."

"That guy is a douche Quinn. Why the hell would you want to hang out with him anyways?" he asked as he folded his arms in a stubborn manner.

"Because he actually notices me!" Quinn yelled feeling all her resentment towards Clay finally out. She had long accepted that Clay was never ever going to notice her as something more than a friend. But that actually didn't mean that she wasn't hurt by his lack of attention towards her.

"W-What do you mean?" he questioned a bit taken back by her outburst.

Quinn ran her hand through her hair frustrated with Clay. He was so clueless at times and it irritated her to no end. "David makes me feel special Clay." she whispered in a weary tone. "He makes me forget about the guy I've been so madly in love with for years." she confessed giving him a longing look.

"Quinn…"

"I'm sorry Clay but please try to understand me." she pleaded. "I really care about him." she added just in case. "And besides he's been feeling really bad ever since Julian's death and I've been helping him."

"Just answer me this Quinn. Does he…does he make you happy?"

"Yeah."

Clay nodded his head not saying a word. He felt bad right now. He should have known that Quinn had her reasons for hanging out with David. But instead he was being selfish wanting her for him only. She had the right to be happy and if this David guy did it for her then who was he to stop her?

He would let her be happy and stop complaining because that's what a best friend was for. Even though a part of him felt like he shouldn't, that he should keep her away from David, he wasn't going to listen to that part.

Quinn deserved to be happy.

"I'm sorry Q." he apologized with a guilty face. "I shouldn't have…I'm just sorry. Is just that I've never had to share you before like this. " Clay said knowing that even when Quinn had a boyfriend she always made time for him no matter what.

"Clay you're always going to be my best friend and you know I love you right?" Quinn told him as she caressed his face with tender love. He nodded his head. "We'll hang out soon enough okay?"

"That sounds great Quinn. I'll see you around?"

"Count on it." she said and kissed him in the cheek not knowing that at that moment Clay felt something he had never felt before. Quinn gave him one last smile before stepping inside her apartment and closing the door.

Clay walked outside her apartment building his hands in his pocket. He wasn't sure what the hell happened back there but when she kissed him, he felt this tingly feeling all over him. He had never felt this way before. Quinn always kissed him like that; it was nothing out of the ordinary. He was so into his thoughts that he didn't notice when he bumped into a figure, making that person fall flat on her butt.

"Shit! Are you okay?" he asked, worried that he might have hurt the girl. Looking at her, Clay noticed how gorgeous she was. She had long brown hair cascading all the way down her back with these bright striking brown eyes that he couldn't help but to stare at.

She was really beautiful he would admit.

"Yeah I'm fine." she said as Clay helped her get up.

"You look familiar." he told her when she was straightening herself out. He had a feeling he had seen her before but he couldn't recall from where.

"You must have me confuse. I don't think we've ever met."

"No we haven't but I know I've seen you before."

"Well I'm Theresa in case that helps." she said, offering him a smile.

"Clay…Clay Davis." he introduced himself. "Has anyone told you, you have the most beautiful eyes ever?" Clay asked with a smirk already placed on his face.

Nathan was shooting around an old basketball court that he had accidently found one day when walking around the streets of New York. He was supposed to meet up with Lucas so he was killing time waiting for the blond to show up by playing his favorite sport of all time. His knee was a whole lot better and he was comfortable playing by himself but that didn't mean his fears were gone. He was still scared of getting hurt again and that fear kept him from trying to play a real game.

"Nathan." He heard someone call to him from behind. He turned around and found himself face to face with the person he least expected to see.

"Brooke?" he said in a shock tone. "What are you doing here?" He was expecting to meet up with Lucas not her.

Brooke was nervous as she started walking slowly towards him. She could see it in his face that he wasn't too happy to see her right now.

"I umm I-"

"How did you know where I was?" he rudely cut her off. Just because he helped her out yesterday, it didn't mean he wasn't angry at her for what she did. Though his anger had slightly lessened, it was still there.

"Lucas." she answered uncomfortably. "He texted you remember?"

And he did. He remembered getting a text from an unknown number asking if they could meet up. When he found out that text had been sent by Lucas, he agreed. Why did he agree to meet up when he barely knew the guy? A guy who had punched and threatened him in less than twenty four hours? He didn't know but he just did.

"Yeah but…" Nathan looked over her shoulder and saw Lucas a few feet away leaning against a tree. His expression was neutral but Nathan could have sworn there was a small grin on his face. "What do you want Brooke?" Nathan asked gruffly giving Lucas a dirty look before turning his attention back to the brunette.

"Don't be mad at him, he just did it because I asked him to." she told him.

"What do you want?" Nathan repeated in that same tone not at all caring for her explanation.

"I just wanted to apologized for what happened yesterday in the bar…with Haley." Brooke said and saw his eyes hardened. "I-I wasn't myself." she lamely defended herself. Brooke knew she had every right to do what she did after all the guy had been such a sleaze ball, but the way she did it wasn't fair to Haley or even Nathan. "I've been going through a rough patch lately and when I saw something that upset me yesterday, I took it out on you."

"Okay." he simply said. "Is that all?"

She shook her head. "I umm also wanted to thank you for what you did for me yesterday. Lucas told me that you found me in that bar and then brought me to his apartment, so thank you."

"No problem." was his short response. "Anything else?"

Brooke sighed. "Can you like just not be all serious?" she asked, starting to get frustrated with the way he was acting.

"What the hell do you want from me?!" he growled angrily. "Do you want me to be all happy that you ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me?"

"Nathan-"

"Because I'm not!" he yelled getting in her face. "I lost Haley because of you!" he pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"Hey! If you wouldn't have been such a pig and tried sleeping with me none of this would have happened in the first place!" Brooke snapped back furiously, tired of him accusing her. Sure she was to blame for part of what happened but Nathan had some blame in this too.

"Well if you wouldn't have opened your big fat mouth-"

"I told you I was sorry! What more do you want from me?"

"Nothing! I don't want anything from you!" Nathan shouted in desperation. "All I want is Haley and now she's gone…"

Brooke's heart went out for Nathan. It was obvious to her that his feelings for Haley were strong. She had to do something to fix this. But what?

"I'll help you." Brooke stated moments later with determination. She wanted, no she needed to help Nathan for Haley.

"You'll help me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Just leave it to me."

"Still moping around?" Sylvia asked Peyton when she came into her room.

Peyton who was sitting on her with her sketchpad at hand bed didn't say much as she continued to draw what she had been drawing for the past couple of minutes.

"Instead of wasting your time you should do something more…productive." Sylvia continued not being at all bothered that Peyton didn't answer.

Peyton put her sketchpad down and looked at Sylvia. "Oh you mean something productive like you who is off drinking herself into oblivion?" she retorted scornfully.

"We all have our ways of dealing with a loss." Sylvia said pointedly.

"Well this is mine." Peyton replied sadly as she went back to her sketchpad.

"Peyton…sweetheart, what about Lucas?" Sylvia asked as she sat next to her on the bed. Peyton looked up wondering where she was going with this. "Are you going to just let him slip away? Because if you are then by all means continue with this morbid isolation."

Peyton looked down.

Sylvia stood up and turned around to leave but then Peyton's voice stopped her. "Lucas doesn't even like me." she whispered sadly as she remembered the conversation she had with him a while ago in his office. "He doesn't see me as more than a friend."

"I didn't raise my daughter to be a quitter." the older woman declared before she stepped outside Peyton's room. Peyton sat there as she replayed her mom's words over and over again in her head.

Haley was absentmindedly cleaning the tables in the bar. As usually she was helping out Chase while Owen was still gone. She wasn't paying attention to what she was doing and Chase was beginning to get worried.

"Hey Haley you alright?" Chase asked her with concern.

"I'm fine." she simply responded and went back to cleaning.

She was lying of course but she just wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone today. Yesterday had been the worse day of her life. She didn't know how she was feeling since she found out about Nathan and then there was the way Brooke treated her. She was confused but one thing for sure was that she was done with Nathan Scott. There was no way she could continue being his friend knowing at one point he tried hooking up with her best friend.

Best friend.

Funny how at that moment she didn't feel like she had one. She understood to a certain point Brooke's anger but the way she did things yesterday was so unlike her. Her best friend would have never done something like that knowing how much it was going to affect her. The worst part was that she did it without hesitation and with no remorse on her part.

"Haley?" Chase's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He motioned to her with his head, making her turn around to see someone she wasn't expecting to see.

"Hey Bunny." Brooke nervously greeted her. "I know you're probably mad at me," she continued when Haley remained in complete silence. "but I came because I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday."

She walked closer hoping Haley wouldn't be too mad at her but also knowing she had every right to stay mad if she wanted to. "What I did was so wrong. I never meant to say those things but I did and I'm so sorry."

"I want to be mad at you Brooke but I can't. You've been going through so much lately and I understand but I just…" she trailed off. How do you even begin to explain to your best friend that you don't recognize her anymore?

"Haley…I'm sorry." she whispered.

"I just…you're a fucking mess Brooke and I want to help you but I can't if you're going to be lashing out on me like you did yesterday. I get it Nathan was that guy from a few months ago but you could have told me some other way."

"Again I'm sorry." she said sitting down in a nearby table. "You're right Haley and my life is a mess but I'm me again I swear."

Haley shook her head. "Brooke it's been a month. A month where you were completely isolated from everyone who loves and cares for you. You can't just be you all of a sudden."

"Haley…"

"You need to talk to someone about what you're feeling because holding things inside you is not good. I'm not saying to get professional help." she quickly added when she saw she was about to object. "What I'm saying is that you should talk to me, your mom, Clay or Lucas. Hell you can even talk to Quinn if you want but talk to someone." she pleaded with conviction.

"I will...when I'm ready" she promised. They remained quiet for a couple of seconds neither knowing what to say next. "So umm are we good." she timidly asked.

"We're more than good." Haley stated and no sooner than she spoke these words that she found herself hugging her best friend.

"Thank you Hales. I was so scared that I messed things up badly with you."

"Oh Brookie, you know you can't get rid of me that easily." she playfully teased making both girls laugh.

"You're my best friend Haley and I love you, you know right?" Brooke asked, pulling away from her embrace.

"Of course I do because I feel the same way about you too."

"Well that's good because I have something else I needed to talk to you about."

"Sure what's up?" Haley asked as both girls sat on a table.

"Nathan."

"Nathan?" Haley repeated until she got what she thought Brooke meant. "I swear it's over Brooke. Whatever I had with that jerk is done. I don't even want to ever see him again."

"You need to fix things with him." Brooke said, surprising Haley.

"But what about what he did to you?"

"Everyone makes mistakes Haley. Nathan is now a complete different person. He's a good guy and he really cares about you."

"You made such a big deal about it yesterday. What happened that changed your mind?" Haley curiously asked.

So Brooke then started telling her (the bits Lucas told her) what happened to her yesterday after she left the bar. She told her about how she got completely drunk and how Nathan was there to help her even though he didn't have to. Brooke made a huge emphasis on how Nathan only did it because of Haley and because he knew how much she cared about her.

When Brooke was done telling her everything, Haley was left speechless. She felt guilty about the way she treated Nathan yesterday but how could she have known he was going to be saving her best friend even after the things she said to him? Sure he deserved it but after finding out he helped Brooke, well now she was grateful and understanding. He had changed and Haley didn't know how she would ever be able to face him again.

"He probably hates me and probably doesn't want to see me anymore. What am I going to do Brooke?" Haley asked, freaking out a bit.

"Just talk to him Haley. That's the only way to fix things." Brooke told Haley, laying a comforting hand on her.

"But what if he doesn't want to see me?" Haley asked in a scared tone. "I think I really hurt him and I-"

"I'll always want to see you." Nathan interrupted. Haley quickly whipped around at the sound of his voice surprised to see him standing just a few feet away from them.

"N-Nathan?"

"Hey Haley…" he said giving her a soft smile. He turned his attention to Brooke. "Thank you."

"No problem." she replied before standing up. "I'll leave you two alone to work things out." Brooke told them and then just like that left.

"You finally fixed things?" Lucas asked Brooke when she finally came out of the bar.

"Yup…or at least I hope so." she answered brightly. "Now I just need to fix one more thing." she remarked, looking at him intensely. "Come, we need to go to one more place." Brooke said as she grabbed his hand, pulling him towards his car.

"Where are we going?" Lucas asked her curiously.

"We are going to Central Park." she replied.

"Central Park? How many people did you exactly piss off again?" he joked giving her a boyish grin.

She swatted his arm playfully. "I'm just going to ignore that comment mister." She gave him a pointed look. "Now come on we got a park to go to."

Haley stood awkwardly not knowing what to say to Nathan. She felt embarrassed and guilty at the moment and she didn't know how to deal with it.

"I'm sorry Nathan…well for the most part."

"Huh…for the most part." he repeated smiling. "I'm sorry too for my past asshole ways."

"You don't have to apologize for that. Like you said we all have a past and though yours is a bit…grayer you've changed. I was just mad at you yesterday to remember that."

"So where does that leave us? Friends again?" he asked hopefully. He just wanted them to return to what they had slowly been developing for the past few days. Of course he wanted more but for now he was happy with just being friends with Haley.

She shook her head. "No."

Nathan was shocked. "But I thought-"

"I don't want to be friends because I want to be so much more than that to you." Haley confessed making Nathan's eyes widen in surprise. She had decided that she was tired of denying her feelings for him. Almost losing him yesterday made her realize just that.

"Haley just what are you saying?" Nathan asked as he saw Haley getting closer to him.

"Nathan I like you." Haley stated, smiling at him. "And I'm tired of fighting what I really feel for you."

"I-I like you too." he responded automatically with a hint of nervousness.

"Good." Haley said before she closed the gap between them and kiss him gently on the lips.

Nathan had kissed so many girls before but none of those other kisses compared to what this one kiss with Haley was doing to him. A simple yet incredible kiss that brought out this elated feeling of happiness he had never experience before.

When they separated, they were looking at each other with this intense glare. "Haley…" Nathan whispered ever so softly caressing her face. "I…"

"Shhh…." she said before kissing him once more. "We don't need words Nathan. I like you simple as that and I want to be with you."

"You're right but when Owen finds out he's going to flip."

"Owen can't find out about us Nathan." Haley said in a panic tone. She had completely forgotten about Owen and what his reaction was going to be when he found out about them. Not good she guessed and she knew she couldn't take that risk. Owen was just too important for her to lose.

"What…but why?"

"Although he's your brother, he really doesn't like you at the moment."

Nathan sighed running his hand through his raven hair. "I know but I don't want to keep us a secret." he pouted like a little kid.

"I know but just give me time to break it gently to him. He needs to see for himself how much you've changed."

Nathan understood that. He needed to prove to his older brother that he was a changed man. That he was good enough for Haley. He had forgotten how overprotected Owen was when it came to her.

"You're right. Owen still sees me as a screw up and he wouldn't approve of us." Nathan told her, knowing how much Haley valued his older brother's opinion. They were close and if he didn't want Owen influencing his new relationship with Haley he needed to prove he had changed for the better. "I need to prove to him how much I've changed but when he sees that just promise me we'll tell him about us."

"I promise." Haley agreed beaming up at him. "And thank you." she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know it's going to be hard but as soon as Owen sees you've changed we'll tell him about us." And then just because she could she leaned in for another kiss. She couldn't help it, he was irresistible and he was hers.

"So what exactly are we doing here again?" Lucas asked as he looked around the park. He standing while Brooke was sitting down in a bench next to him. "Brooke?" he called out to her when he got no response. She had been acting strange ever since they got here and her silence was starting to worry him.

"Sorry I was just remembering." she finally snapped out of her trance.

"Remembering what?" he asked, finally sitting down next to her.

She turned her body to face him. "The day we met. It was right here in this bench."

Lucas smiled warmly at her. "I remember that day vividly. No matter what, I couldn't get you out of my mind."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, looking away from him.

"Brooke why are we here?"

"I know you said that I didn't have to but I feel like I should. I shouldn't have come to your apartment and started what I did. I shouldn't have gotten upset when you stopped us and I shouldn't have gotten mad at you outside the bar."

"It's okay." Lucas said after a while looking too passive much to Brooke's annoyance. She wanted him to be angry, to be screaming at her and telling her all sorts of things she knew she deserved but he wasn't. He was just so freaking perfect and she hated that because that only made her feel worse about her actions.

"Damn it Lucas! Why can't you just be mad at me?" she finally snapped looking at him. "Why can't you just tell me how you really feel and tell me what a horrible person I am?"

"Because I don't think you're a horrible person. You're just someone that's been through so much." he said while shrugging his shoulders.

He stood up dusting himself off. "You can't be excusing everything I do Lucas." Brooke retorted back fiercely as she too stood up to stand in front of him. "I'm not perfect like you." she whispered in a vulnerable tone.

He scoffed, shaking his head. "You think I'm perfect?" he asked pointing at himself. "Brooke I'm far from perfect."

"You are to me. Everything you do is right, you never mess up. Well except with me because you think I can't do anything wrong and when I do you make up excuses for me."

"Brooke…"

"I'm just scared that one day you're going to realize what I have known all along…that I'm not the girl you think I am. And when that happens you're not going to like it and leave me."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." He pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest. "And I don't make up excuses Brooke. I just try to understand you."

"Sometimes I can't even understand me." she confessed, laughing dryly. "Just never leave me okay?" she said, clinging on to him tightly. "I don't know what I would ever do without you."

"Me neither." Lucas admitted, thinking a life without Brooke would be no life at all.

Brooke pulled away, her hands resting on his chest as she looked at him straight into those electrifying blue eyes. What she was about to do was probably the most selfish things she ever done but she just needed to do it this one time. Without another word she leaned in, crashing her lips against his. Their mouths instantly melting together so perfectly.

"I really like you." Brooke confessed, kissing him one more time before she pulled back. She rested her head close to his. "But…" she traced her thumb over his swollen lips. "I'm not ready to start a relationship with someone else right now."

Lucas's face fell slightly but he understood. She wasn't ready and he wasn't about to pressure her.

"I know." he whispered brushing her hair back from her face.

"Maybe I will someday but that doesn't mean that I want you to wait for me Lucas." Brooke said, stepping away from him. "That wouldn't be fair of me to ask. I want you to be happy and if you're going to be waiting for me to make a decision, that won't happen."

"As long as I have you in my life I will be happy Brooke."

"Luke…it wouldn't be fair." she said frowning slightly.

"I'll wait for you and you want to know why?" Lucas asked her and she shook her head not sure if she wanted to hear his answer. "Because I'm the guy for you. I know you're not ready and that's fine take all the time in the world to figure things out. But one of these nights you're gonna realize it; I'm the guy for you Brooke Davis….you'll see"

"You're crazy." she stated, shaking her head.

"I know." Lucas agreed and leaned in to kiss her one more time knowing it was going to be the last time he did for a while. But he stood by with what he told her. He would wait for her because she was Brooke Davis and she was worth all the waiting in the world.

To Be Continued…

Okay so I hoped you liked this slightly longish chapter but sadly I have some bad news; I will soon be going on a three week vacation starting December 17. I won't have access to anything (e.g. laptop, internet…) since I am going out of the country for the holidays. But don't worry, I will update as soon as I get back!

Happy holidays to you all and hope you enjoyed this chapter for those that are still reading.

Please Review!