Okay so sue me I decided to do a double update now since I now might be busy on monday. Plus I figure with the way the other chapter went we could all use a little hope. So here is chapter 5 and feel free to review.

Chapter 5

Close

Jake still had that sinking feeling. He had had it since Sophia decided to look for something about her past. They were careful not to ask too many questions just in case some dark and shadowy figure was lurking around to hurt her. They had decided to start to look in the national missing person's registration. They were all but given up till they came across a file about a missing woman from a place called Tree Hill, North Carolina.

"Brooke Davis missing since February twenty ninth two thousand and eleven. Five foot five, brunette, hazel eyes…..tattoo of an 'L' on her ahem"

"Tattoo of an 'L' on her what Jake?"

"Ummmm, seeing as how I've never seen you naked….have you ever seen a tattoo on your….ass."

"Uhhh, can't say I've really checked. Although that is kind of weird. You'd think I'd know if I had a tattoo."

She sat looking at the computer screen till she felt Jake's eyes staring at her.

"What?"

"Don't you think you should look?"

"I guess."

"You know, I could always look for you."

His eyebrow shot up suggestively and Sophia's face grew to an embarissing shade of red.

"Jake shut up" she said tagging him on the shoulder. "I'm going to the ladies room, I'll be right back."

"I'll be here."

She walked in and checked to see if there was anyone in any of the other stalls and then she placed her purse on the counter and dug in looking for her silver compact. She pulled it out and opened it and sucked in a breath of anticipation. She knew if that tattoo was there, there would be no turning back. She faced the big mirror and angled the compact to have a look. She could think of worse things to be doing in a ladies room. She swept the mirror over and back, there was nothing. She let out that breath and for a moment she was sad and happy. Sad because if the tattoo had been there she would at least know her own name. Happy because since the tattoo wasn't there that meant she wouldn't have to leave Jake behind. Just then a bubbly blonde walked in laughing and got an eyeful of Sophia's ass. Sophia spun around and turned red with embarrassment.

"Oh sorry. I didn't know someone was in here."

"Oh it's okay."

"You looking for something?"

"No….nothing at all."

"Well sure looked like you were looking for something."

Sophia's face got even redder if it were even possible.

"Hey that guy out there you were talking to, is he your boyfriend" the blonde asked washing her hands.

"Oh….uhhh….no. He's just a friend."

"Wish I had hotties like him as friends." The girl by now was straightening her clothes and primping in the mirror and was about to walk out while Sophia awkwardly looked everywhere but at the girl.

"Well I'll leave you to whatever it is you were doing. Oh and by the way…nice tattoo."

The door opened and closed and Sophia looked into that mirror shell shocked. She scrambled to see exactly what the girl said she saw. And there it was It was right on the curve of her ass. She practically had to contort in order to see it. It was a capital 'L', she looked a little closer and saw the inside was shaded to look like the skin of a basketball. She almost passed out at the sight out it. She quickly pulled her jeans back up and walked out of the bathroom. Jake could tell by her pale tone that he didn't even need to ask if it was there.

"So I guess we're going to Tree Hill" was all he said.

Sophia and Jake piled into the car and started driving. Brooke had taken the time before they left to research this Brooke Davis. They found out that this woman was actually a pretty great girl. She had been a local favorite in Tree Hill. She was an up and coming clothing designer, owned a club with her friend called Tric, she even volunteered at the teen crisis center with her other best friend and got her name in the paper for saving some troubled teen from jumping off some bridge. To Sophia it seemed like someone like this would be missed. Every piece of information they found about her she seemed like super woman, the only question was what happened to her. The last straw was when they happened to find Brooke Davis' Facebook page. The big shocker was that after taking one look at a picture of her any doubt was gone. Sophia was in fact this Brooke Davis person. While Jake had been busy plotting their trip she snuck back to the page and looked at the albums. Inside was exactly what she really wanted to know….was the blue eyed man someone special to Brooke. There he was, he was sitting by a pool and she could tell it must've been a bright and sunny day. In the picture he was embracing the brunette from behind and she was looking at the camera smiling the biggest smile. She imagined the guy must've said something amazing to make her smile like that. The guy wasn't paying too much attention to the camera, his eyes were trained on her. Picture after picture of them together showed proof of a life she didn't recognize but in each photo she saw how his face spoke volumes. He looked like he loved the woman in his arms. If that were true, why had no one come to find her yet and then she saw it. The last update had been RIP Brooke Davis. They must think she's dead and here she was riding in a car on her way back to her loved ones. She didn't understand why she had this sinking feeling that she was about to walk into something huge. She started to feel like maybe it was a mistake to show up.

"Hey Jake?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know how to handle this."

"Neither do I, we'll do it together." He looked over at her briefly to give her a reassuring smile.

"I don't know about you but I don't want to just show up and knock on someone's door. I mean what if-"

"Sophia you are going to make yourself crazy with all of the what if's."

"But don't you think it's a bad idea for me to just show up, what about the whole reason I ended up in the water I mean, what if these people had something to do with it?"

"Are you really that afraid?"

"Not afraid…just wanting to be cautious."

Jake looked over and saw the genuine look of worry on her face and decided to come up with a plan.

"How bout this, we come up with a cover story and I go in and do a little digging?"

"I like so far. So what's the story?"

"Well what do we know about Brooke Davis?"

"She designed clothes….she volunteered, she-"

"How bout I show up asking to find her to thank her for saving my sisters life?"

"Sounds sweet. I was going to go with you love to cross dress in her clothes."

"Ha ha very funny."

"Well I am a funny gal."

"Soph….what happens when we get there and find out there's nothing to be afraid of?"

"We'll cross that road when we get to it."

"Soph I-"

"Jake I know how you feel because I'm feeling it too. I'm scared. We've been together every day for over a year and you are the only thing that's constant for me. Part of me wants to just turn around and just call the whole thing off."

Jake was happy to hear her say it but he knew deep down he had to push her to do this. His biggest fear was that there was some prince charming in Tree Hill that this Brooke belonged to and once he saw her he'd never let her go…and Jake would be just a distant memory. He had to admit he was in love with Soph…but Sophia wasn't real, Brooke Davis was, she had a real life, real friends and possibly a real man that loved her.

"Brooke-"

"What did you just call me?"

He paused for a second and decided to keep on, she needed to start realizing that this was happening.

"I called you Brooke, which is your name."

Jake don't do that okay, just don't-"

"No you need to start getting used to it. I mean we're driving all the way to another city to spy on your old life."

"Well what if I don't want that life!"

"You are who you are, no amount of ignoring this is going to change it. I love you but I was wrong."

She was shocked to hear him actually say it. He had hinted to it for so long but to hear him say that he loved her…made it real. Before she could respond to his declaration he kept on.

"I never should have lied about who you were-"

"Jake you thought you were protecting me."

"I did but I should've done more, looked for your family or –"

"You did what you thought was right to keep a helpless woman safe. No one, and by no one I mean me, will ever blame you for that."

"Not yet anyway."

"No not ever. Jake you are my hero, if it hadn't been for you I would be dead. If you're worried about what these people will say about you keeping me away then don't. If they love me as much as we think they do then they'll just be happy I came back."
"So what about when we get there. Are you going to want to stay?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that I will not lose you. Whatever I do we'll decide together."

"Brooke-"

"Stop calling me that!"

"No BROOKE, once we get there and figure out if it's safe…I'm going back."

"Not without me."

"Yes. I think-"

"Stop thinking. You just said you loved me and now you're plotting to ditch me."

"I'm not-",he stammered out and then decided to pull over. "Look…I'm sorry. It's just I got this feeling that there's someone waiting for you back there and-"

He was cut off by her lips pressing to his. He ran his fingers into her hair and she intensified the kiss hoping to silence any fears he had of losing her but what she managed to do was confirm them to herself. What she saw when she pulled away was the face of the blue eyed man she had pictured before. The sight of him ignited a passion in her that took over and soon she was slamming her lips back into Jake's, still envisioning they belonged to her dream man. She climbed over the middle console and straddled Jake. It was as if her body went into auto pilot and her hands took on a mind of their own as they began to undo Jake's jeans and if he had been a weaker man, they would've done it right then and there.

"Soph…" he said breathless as he softly pushed her back. When her eyes focused and she saw Jake starring back and she felt disgusted with herself. She had allowed herself to cheapen what they had with memories of some Adonis like man she didn't even know.

"Jake…Jake I am so sorry."

"It's okay. Maybe we should just sit back in our seats and collect ourselves and stick to driving."

Brooke slinked back over to her seat in shame and for the rest of the drive she looked at road. She didn't dare look Jake back in the eye especially with thoughts of another man slowly taking over.

Lucas had been home for a few days now. "Brooke" had yet to show her face again since the episode in the hospital. He walked in with Haley, Nathan and Jamie following close behind. He eased down on to the couch and looked at the happy little broken family. He hated how things were now. He could remember how happy they use to be. Two years ago that same day he was sitting on that very couch with Brooke sitting in his lap while they watched Jamie playing with his toys in the floor. He had been running his fingers across the exposed skin on her lower back. She leaned back into him and giggled as she felt him grab her earlobe with his lips and nibble on it.

"You feelin' sore down there."

"You mean since you had me branded on my ass."

"It was only fair and hey you only got one letter. I got your whole name."

It was as if he could feel her fingers trace over his new tattoo and then the searingly passionate kiss that followed. To anyone that was on the outside looking in, it was obvious that Lucas owned Brooke and Lucas belonged to Brooke.

They fed off each other's possessiveness. Now he longed to feel like he belonged to someone.

"Hey Jamie why don't you go wash your hands while I unpack the Chinese food."

"Yeah, be right back, come on dad you can lift me up so I can reach the sink."

"Comin' little man. We'll be right back."

Lucas watched as the pair walked out and Haley's eyes drifted right into his gaze.

"Lucas, we need to talk."

"No we don't."

"Yes we do." She said rounding the table and sat next to him. "When you were out of it you said….you said-"

"I said what exactly?"

"You said you were sorry you killed me and that you missed me."

He dropped his eyes to the hands that were wringing in his lap.

"Lucas I got a feeling you thought I was Brooke. You can't keep blaming yourself-"

"Haley I know you love me but can you please just drop this."

His blue orbs pleaded for her to let it be but someone else had other ideas.

"My my, someone has a dirty conscience. Maybe she should feel guilty for me being dead too."

There goes that voice again. He was really starting to get annoyed. His hands were now wringing for a different reason. He had to do something to distract him so he didn't say something back. He was sure Haley would have him committed if he started talking to thin air. He sat there and listened as Haley continued.

"Lucas. I really need to say this. I miss her. I miss her every day and at the same time I hate her for sleeping with my hus…my ex-husband. I feel like if we had just handled things differently maybe…maybe she wouldn't have ended up on that road."

"Well Hales it's not like it was your entire fault I mean it's not like you were the one that bashed my face in."

"Lucas there's something I wanted to ask you. I was never sure what happened that night, why she was on the road…"

"See even she knows you did something Luke. Careful, Saint Haley is starting to see that 'Mr. Perfect' exterior cracking."

"…and that night it just seemed off that she would be driving so fast. Lucas what did I walk in on that night?"

"Tell her Lucas, tell her how you tried to choke me." Brooke said angrily.

"Lucas, you know you can tell me anything." Haley said sympathetically but her sympathy was shot down with Brooke's bitter words that only escalated in tone.

"Tell her how you did the one thing you promised you'd never do to me again."

"I mean if you did something…"

"Oh yeah he did something alright."

"…just tell me. Is that the reason you said you killed her?"

"TELL HER!" Brooke screamed. He physically flinched at her screams and Haley saw it.

"Lucas what is it?"

"I hit her. . . a little more than that."

It spilled out into the air and Haley displayed the look of shock and terror. She had been there the first time Lucas hit Brooke when he was drunk. They got into it at a party when he thought she was being a little too flirty and in his drunken stupor, he accidently hit her. She had also been there when Brooke was curled up on the bathroom floor, hugging her knees and sobbing while Lucas shouted and banged on the door. He was sloppy drunk and angry she had shut the door in his face. The next morning she remembered Lucas showing up at her and Nathan's house, begging for forgiveness and promising to never lift a hand to her again. He had promised and Haley always believed him.

"You what?"

"She…she came looking for me that night…she told me about her and Nathan and…I snapped."

He couldn't bear to look Haley in the face right then. Her eyes were the very picture of disgust and hurt. She never imagined he would do it again, much less to a woman he had told her that he would do anything for. It seemed anything but keep a promise. She couldn't form words at that second and it was all and well since Jamie came bouncing back in. As soon as Nathan rounded the corner he knew Lucas must've told her the truth about that night. That night had been the night he almost beat his own brother to death the moment they were told there was no hope that Brooke had survived. That night he went wild with rage and pounded his fist into Lucas's face. Haley had jumped in managed to pull Nathan away. That night she looked at Nathan as if he was the monster but it was Lucas who was the monster. When Haley layed into him he wanted to shout back that Lucas was the one that drove Brooke to get in that car and drive recklessly in the rain but he didn't have the heart after she blamed him. Right up until that moment she believed that it was the guilt from the act of sleeping with her friends husband that drove Brooke over that bridge, that maybe it was some form of suicide. Until then Haley had never given it a moment's thought that Lucas was responsible. It was that very night that Haley sided with Lucas and pushed Nathan away that fractured their already fragile marriage. Nathan let it happen because of all things, it hurt that she blamed him. It hurt even more that he couldn't do anything to take it back.

"Jamie, why don't you go upstairs and watch TV while your mom, Uncle Lucas and I talk okay?"

"Okay daddy."

Jamie hopped up those stairs but was fully aware of the tension. He paused at the top to listen.

"So what's going on" Nathan asked, seeing Haley was near tears and looking at Lucas who was starring a hole in the ground in front of him. "Haley, what's wrong?"

She shifted her eyes to the man she loved and saw his eyes were full of the same guilt.

"Did you know?"

"Haley-"

"JUST TELL ME!" She screamed, erupting into tears.

"I found them."

Haley stood from the couch so quickly it looked like she had to move away from a hot fire poker. She looked Nathan right in the eyes and he physically saw her breaking.

"Haley why don't you-"

"What else don't I know!"

"Nothing" Lucas said quietly, still sitting on the couch. She stormed back over to him and slapped him as hard as she could. She wanted to hit him like she assumed he had hit Brooke. All he did was hold his jaw and start to cry. The guilt of feeling like he killed the woman he loved had finally surfaced. Haley felt a little sorry, but not too much. She hated him as much as he hated himself. She couldn't stand to be there anymore, she had to get away. She stormed away to the door in search of fresh air and when she swung the door open she almost ran into a man that had just about to knock.

"Is this the Scott residence?"

Haley scoffed.

"Yeah, they're in there."

She brushed past the man and walked to the street. Sophia watched from the car parked a few driveways away and watched as the woman doubled over and began to bawl. She clutched at her chest as if it pained her to breath and it was at that very moment she felt a pull, a pull as if she was looking at someone she loved, someone who loved her. It wasn't until Brooke rolled down her window did she hear the woman's cries her tears trigger something. She remembered be in a car that was sinking and she looked up and saw that same woman yelling, crying and screaming the name Brooke. Without thinking Brooke swung her car door open and got out to head to the woman but she stopped and hid behind a bush when she heard someone approaching. She watched as a tall man with dark hair took the woman into his arms and embraced her. He rocked her lovingly and turned a little, enough for Sophia to see his face. Like a flash she saw yet another memory. It was of them laughing together. They were laughing and playing tag with a little boy.

"I love you Brookie"

"And I love you Natey"

She snapped out of her memory and watched the couple and felt something. She wanted to go to them, something was drawing her in and she almost did till she thought about it. She slinked back into the shadows and decided to go get a look at what Jake was up to inside, something was definitely going on to make the girl cry.

Inside Jake knocked and called out for anyone to acknowledge him.

"Hello….is anyone home?"

Lucas brushed away his tears and stood to walk to the voice that wafted in the air. When he got there and saw a stranger he got the feeling to just tell him to go the hell away. Lucas wanted to wallow in his misery. When he got there he saw past the man and watched as Nathan held a sobbing Haley.

"Look man this isn't a good time-"

"This won't take long. I wanted to talk to Brooke, Brooke Davis. This address was listed in the phonebook."

The mere mention of her name earned his full attention. He looked the man over and just like the good old days his jealous side came out.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Tim…Tim Smith. I wanted to thank her."

"For what exactly?"

Lucas braced himself for the worse because he was sure this guy was going to say 'for the greatest sex of my life' or something like that.

"She's the reason my sisters alive."
Lucas' face softened. After all this time, Brooke was stilling touching people's lives for the better.

"I'm sorry to say this but Brooke…she's….."

Jake watched as the man tried to bring himself to say the worse thing possible. It was obvious the man in front of him loved her. He couldn't even bring himself to say what had already been a reality for some time now. Jake felt sorry for him.

"She's dead. She has been for some time."

"My sister said she was one of the nicest people she ever met."

"Who was your sister?"

"Molly Smith you know her?"

Jake knew he'd say no but he wanted to get a feel for the guy.

"No can't say I did."

"Well my sister was pretty messed up back then. She drank, did drugs, you know the usual stuff that troubled teens do. She just recently started talking about that time and told me about how Brooke Davis helped her."

"Sorry to say it but again you're about a year too late."

"If you don't mind me asking how did it happen?"

"I mind" was all he said as he slammed the door. He wasn't up to talking to a total stranger about his Brooke. He walked up to his stairs to a room her said he
wouldn't enter ever again.

Brooke had heard the door as she rounded the corner of the house and positioned herself at the back door and the moment she looked in she knew…this had been her home. Instantly she had a flash of making love on the couch in front of her with the blonde man. In her vision he had her pinned on the couch and she was panting his name 'Lucas' as his lips trailed from hers' to her neck. She almost felt his teeth grazing her skin, feel his grip lifting from her wrists to her hips. She almost felt his hands as they roamed her body but her vision was interrupted by the sight of a little boy, trying to sneak down the stairs. He made it down to the bottom and Brooke almost began to cry at the sight of the little boy. For the first time since she woke up in the hospital….she remembered something. Not a brief flash or a dream…she remembered Jamie. His name slipped past her lips and tears fell down her eyes. She remembered him and she remembered she loved him. She gathered herself quickly and then backed away heading for the car. She needed to get away from there quickly to regroup and find out what Jake found out. As she was walking she bumped into Jake.

"What the hell are you doing, I thought we agreed you'd stay in the car."

"I know I'm sorry, I….I…don't know what I-"

"It's okay, let's just get someplace we can talk."

Jake led Brooke away and as he did neither knew they had been seen. He had walked out the front door in search of his parents and seen her. His Aunt Brooke had come home to them. He watched as the man led her away and knew in his heart she would come back to them soon. He found his parents who were now sitting on the curb between cars. Haley's tears had subsided now and she had her head leaning in Nathan's lap as he lovingly stroked her hair.

"Mama?"

Haley shifted quickly and did her best to plaster on a smile and wipe her tears away.

"Jamie, baby where did you come from?"

"The house. I came downstairs when I heard the door slam."

"Jamie why don't you go back inside so your mom and I can talk."

"Is it about Aunt Brooke?"

They both went white and hoped that their little boy hadn't heard or saw anything that had transpired.

"What about her baby" Haley asked sweetly.

"Are you guys planning a surprise for me? Is she going to show up at my birthday?"

That question broke Haley's heart.

"Why honey?"

"Cause I saw her."

Lucas entered the blue room that had once held such hope. He sat in her chair, the same chair that Brooke would sit in for hours and think of all her elaborate designs and he wept. She had dreamed of taking the fashion world by storm and he wanted that for her. Lucas was never the mushy type but he always had faith in Brooke. He knew she would change the world one day. He leaned forward and laid his head on her desk. He had fucked her on that desk so many times whenever she needed some "inspiration" and when she called he always came and soon after so did she. He loved the way she fit him, how he fit her and it was as if the air was being sucked out of the room again. He got up and walked to the window to open it and he saw Nathan and Haley still in front of his house. He wanted the earth to open up and swallow him whole because he knew he had ruined his relationship with Haley. Just as he was about to walk away he saw something moving out of the corner of his eyes. When he turned he saw the guy who had showed up to his door and he was talking to a woman. He couldn't see her face since her back was to him but something made keep looking. Something made it so he couldn't turn away. He watched as she and the man walked away. The way her hips swayed and her hair bounced that brought Brooke to mind and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Even though he didn't see her face and he may not have even see her for more than a second but somehow he knew. Was it possible? Was his Brooke, the real Brooke right there? He barreled out of the room and was down the stairs in seconds and out the front door screaming Brooke's name. His eyes were trained on the horizon where the car had disappeared. Two shell shocked parents that had just heard their son say he saw his dead Aunt whipped around at the sound of their lost friend's name being screamed and right at that moment they all were thinking the same thing. Could Brooke Davis really be alive?

BUM BUM BUM. So did you guys like tha both Jamie and Lucas saw her. The story just gets better from here. Hope you guys are liking it so far.