AN: It has been quite a while since I've updated this and for that, I'm sorry. It started with the holidays getting in the way and then a general malaise pretty much took over. However, I do have to thank Mark for making this new Monday night episode as crap-tastic as possible. I think my anger at what he's doing to Brooke really jump started my need to show him that it doesn't really take much to bring this show back out of the gutter. Hell, I've read tons of fan fiction that could do just that, and we're just lowly fanfic writers. All I'm saying is everyone has their price, and I think if he wanted to, he could bring back CMM. And even if he couldn't, do you HAVE to keep throwing back to Brucas? I mean really, Julian waiting at the airport after Brooke gets home and he's waiting for someone else instead of her? Season 2 anyone? It was just Karen back then, instead of Alex. Oh whatever. That's my rant. And if I take my anger with the show out on Julian, well.. then so be it.

Considering how slow I was at getting this updated, I should have another update in the next week. For now, and as always, I would like to thank Corey for being such an inspiration to me. She really kicked my butt into writing fanfiction, and I'm glad she did. I'm having so much fun with this story. While I KNOW what the ending will be, I have no idea how long it will take to get there. I'm having too much fun imagining Brooke and Lucas back together lol. I'd also like to thank my best friend Maranda for always reading objectively. She hates it but I don't even spoil her because I just want to see how she responds to it. She's a really good sport for putting up with it so.. now I hope I get a super good review from her *hint, hint* lol. JK, I always get great reviews from her.

Oh! and last, I want to thank Angie. Mostly because I love her vids (Check out her Destiny Doesn't Lie series, it's seriously fantastic) and I always watch them when I need a Brucas fix. It totally feels like I'm watching the extention of the show on it, and it's fabulous. Keep up the amazing work and thank you for reading my story!

As always, I hope you guys enjoy. I was on a huge "Wicked" kick when I started this and had called it "Defying Gravity."

Defying Gravity

"Come on, Brooke. Stick with me." Lucas begs as he drives through the small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, to the closest hospital. It's only a fifteen minute drive but right now, it feels like it lasts forever. Beside him, in the passenger seat, was a beautiful brunette with her hands on her stomach as she puffed out short breaths.

"I am." She hisses with her head back against the headrest. "I'm trying. I'm breathing. Are we there?"

"Almost," He says as he reaches over to put his hand on top of hers. She turns hers over and slips her fingers into the spaces between his. She tries to remind herself not to squeeze his hand off but finds it exceedingly difficult to think between contractions.

She can't help the admission as it seethes through her pants, "I don't think I can do this, Luke. I'm scared, I'm so scared.. I don't.. I can't.."

He drives through a red light as he looks over at her, "Don't you dare say that, Brooke. You're the strongest person I've ever met. I know you can do this. Just think about that baby. She's counting on you. You can do it. I believe in you."

"But Luke.." She sniffles as they finally pull up at the hospital's emergency room entrance.

He puts the car in park and shakes his head, "No. No buts, Brooke. Don't you remember what I said about you? You're brave, you can do this. I love you and I'll be with you every step of the way." It slips out so easily that Lucas doesn't even realize that he's said it. Instead he hops out of the car and runs into the E.R's sliding doors.

Just seconds later, three people in uniform come running out with a wheelchair. Brooke's door is opened and she's helped out, into the chair. Her head turns and she reaches her hand out, "Lucas.."

He takes it the second it's outreached. "I'm here, Brooke." And he was. He wouldn't go anywhere.

* * * *

Lucas wakes up that afternoon to the sound of his cell phone ringing beside his bed. With his eyes closed, he takes ahold of the phone and sends the call to voicemail. He'd gotten up at seven that morning to take Penny over to Haley and Nathan's. It was supposed to be all the kids, until Julian came home and that meant Grace wouldn't be there. Lucas was going to spend time there but instead he came home and got some sleep.

He spends most of his nights tossing and turning, so the sleep is more than needed. Ever since he'd spoken to Haley the day before, he couldn't get the thought out of his head that he wasn't happy with Julian because he wasn't the one for Brooke. Of all the things Lucas claimed Brooke deserved, he remembered being that for her at one point--before he ruined all of it.

It's almost eight o'clock.

His flight takes off in just another hour. His fingers hover over his cell phone. He's thinking of what the old man had said. A queen of hearts playing card was turned over and he knew who he wanted to call.

He looks down at his phone and scrolls through the directory to the letter P. He hesitates on Peyton's name. The name below it says 'Pretty Girl.' He thinks of the card again as his brain flashes images of Brooke Davis. The one that stands out finds him outside of his house. He touches the side of her face. I love you too, pretty girl.

He takes a breath and slowly exhales. No. He can't call her. Brooke Davis deserves better than an impromptu elopement in Las Vegas. She's better than that.

With a sigh, Lucas gives up on sleep and rolls out of bed.

At this point, he usually goes to the kitchen to cook up some breakfast, but with Penny gone, he decides on just a tall cup of black coffee. He runs his hand along the top of his head as he heats the water. Then he adds two sugars and a splash of milk before heading into the bedroom again.

He doesn't change out of his pajama's yet, mostly because he finds himself drawn to his laptop. His fingers click away at the keys as if they're guided by a larger force. The words come easily as he writes. It's almost as if he hasn't been in a writing rut. He doesn't even have to think.

He ignores the ringing of his cell phone the first time, and the second, but the third has him looking at the caller I.D. He reads Brooke's name and considers whether he should answer it or not. Surely Julian hasn't left yet, so he doesn't want to get into a confrontation about the kiss in front of the car, but there's something that pulls at him. So he presses the talk button and holds the phone to his ear. "Hey, Brooke I'm.."

He's cut off almost instantly.

"She's gone!" The frantic voice claims from the other end of the line.

Lucas sits up, eyes wide. "Who?"

Brooke paces the little girl's empty room, holding a purple monkey against her chest. "Grace. She's gone. I don't know where she is."

"Okay, Brooke, calm down. What happened?" His mind goes into a million different places. Where would Grace be? How could she be gone?

Her voice is high pitched. "Julian and I got into a fight and I told her to go to her room, and now she's gone. The window's open and she's gone, Luke. I don't know where my baby is."

She doesn't have to say anything else. He's already on his feet. "I'll be right there."

He leaves the laptop open as he runs through the house. The lines on the screen read: Like a flickering candle set in the window to guide lost souls back to their homes, the boy was now realizing that the small light was stronger then the a whole astral body; which, beautiful as it may be, burned brightly and for only a short time. The boy was now a man.

* * * *

"I'll be right here.." He promises as he rushes alongside the medical team that lead Brooke's wheelchair down the hallway. He clasps her hand and looks at her. This time he doesn't see fear though. He sees excitement. He sees anxiety, of course, but he also sees this light. She's ready for this. She's ready to be a mother, and she's worked hard to get there.

Two people rush between them and it makes him lose the hold he had on her hand. People gather around Brooke as they move her into one of the rooms. Lucas tries to rush in but he's stopped by a large, older nurse. Her hand presses against his chest. "Only family." She hisses, about to turn to walk in.

Lucas doesn't even think as he steps forward again and spills, "I'm the father!" Julian wasn't here and even if he was, Lucas wants to be in there. He wants to see Brooke's eyes light up the first time she hears her daughter cry. He wants to sit beside her as she holds her baby for the first time. Maybe it's selfish, but Julian doesn't deserve to be there.

The nurse stares at him for a minute and then steps back to let Lucas through. When he walks in, Brooke's already been lifted onto the bed. Everything was so crazy around her that she can barely think. She just feels the contractions as they hit her like how the waves of the ocean crash relentlessly on the shore.

She looks through the crowd and watches Lucas make it to her side. He grasps her hand and she manages a smile, as she tightens her hold. "You're still here."

Lucas brushes his hand along the top of her sweaty brow and hooks her hair behind her ear. "I'm not leaving you, Brooke." He leans in and kisses her forehead, then lowers to look into her eyes. "You're going to do this, and I'm going to be here the whole time. I promise you, Brooke. I'm not leaving you."

Her lips turn up as she lets her head tilt to the side. She feels sweaty and disgusting but when he kisses her forehead, all of that disappears. Even if only for a minute. Her heart races and his arm wraps around her shoulders. "I'm scared Luke," she whispers.

"I'm right here."

* * * *

"Thank you," She says to the police officer who turns and heads back to his car. As he gets in and starts to drive back to the station, she sees a mustang pull up and her heart hitches. She wipes her face and watches Lucas jump out of the driver's side and rush up the walkway. "Brooke--"

"She's gone, Luke. I don't know where she is. She's just gone. She could be hurt." Brooke throws herself into his arms and holds on, as she tries not to fall to pieces right there on the front step. "I was so stupid. We fought, and we yelled. She must have been so scared. I went to apologize and she wasn't there. The window was open, Oh God, what if someone took her?"

Her mind breaks into a million different pieces. She can barely think. All she can see are horrible images of cars with reckless drivers, or predators that find a young girl walking down the street alone. She's shaking in his arms.

Lucas rubs his hand up and down her back. "Shh, Brooke, It'll be okay. We'll find her. She'll be okay." He wants to promise it and while he feels like he can, he can't. His mind is going wild with those thoughts as well. What if something happened to his little miss Gracie? What if she didn't run away? What if she was abducted?

He feels sick to his stomach.

Only moreso when he hears a thick voice coming closer. "What the hell are you doing with your hands around my girlfriend?"

Brooke pushes back and looks over at Julian with puffy eyes. "Will you knock it off?" She sniffles, "Grace is gone. Her window was open and she's gone."

"What do you mean, she's gone?" Julian hisses as his stomach tightens. He hasn't been on his walk that long. He checks his watch. It's only been an hour. "How the hell do you lose a four year old?"

The brunette shakes as she covers her face with her palms. The guilt has already taken over her so it doesn't take much to make her shatter like glass. She can't even manage any words as she turns and runs into the house. The second she steps through the doorway, her arms wind over her stomach, and she lets herself sob.

Lucas reacts when he sees Julian move towards the door. His hands curl into Julian's shirt and he pushes him back into the side of the house with all the pent up anger he has coursing through his veins. "You are not going to go in there and make this worse for her."

"She lost our daughter!" Julian growls as he defensively puts his hands up to push Lucas off of him. But he barely budges.

"And where the hell were you?" He's had just about enough of Julian Baker making Brooke cry. And now, especially now, wasn't the time to pick a fight just because he could. He doesn't let Julian say anything. "Why don't you knock off your bullshit and help find Grace?" God, how he wishes he could just punch him in the nose. His fingers itch with the desire, but he pulls back. Now isn't the time. He needs to find his beautiful little Grace.

Lucas walks inside and finds Brooke on the couch. He sinks down next to her and she leans against his chest. She squeezes him as she hides her face in his shirt. Her little girl was out there, lost and alone. Julian was right. She feels this is her fault. She shouldn't have yelled back at Julian with Grace right in front of them. She should have been smarter, and now she's gone.

Julian stands at the door but feels like he isn't even there. He sees how easily Brooke falls into Lucas's arms and he wants to be angry. He wants to, but this time he holds himself back. It takes a lot to swallow his pride but he manages to. "I think we should all go looking for her. She can't have gotten far."

While Luke knows she will object, he lets out a breath. "I think Brooke should stay here."

She jumps up, "What? No way." She shakes her head, indignance in her eyes. "That's my baby. I'm not just going to sit here while she's out there."

"Brooke." Lucas puts his hands gingerly against her arms. "You have to be here if she comes back."

As much as she wants to, she doesn't argue. "You're right." She takes a steadying breath. "You're right. I'll stay here." She decides to call Nathan and Haley, and let them know in case they see Grace. She feels more weak and undone than she's ever felt in her life. She wants to hold herself together and be strong for her baby girl, but how can she when the whole world seems to have stopped spinning? She's disoriented and a large part of her just wants to curl into a ball and cry. But she doesn't. Grace needs her.

Lucas squeezes her arms a little and offers a reassuring smile before he walks around her. Julian just stares at him as he pushes off the wall, ready to head out. He wants to find his daughter as well. He isn't a complete jerk. He rakes his hands through his hair as he starts down the street, calling out Grace's name.

Brooke watches as Lucas goes to the door and turns, "Lucas.."

He doesn't need her to say anything. He already knows what she is saying in her voice. He can see the plea in her glassy, hazel eyes. Lucas walks back into the house and cups her face so he can look in her eyes. He wants her to believe him when he says this. "We'll find her, Brooke. We will. I'll bring her back to you." He has never believed anything in his life as much as he believes this.

* * *

"You're doing great, Brooke. Just one more big one." Lucas stands at the side of her hospital bed. For awhile he had been in charge of drying off her forehead but had given up on that ever since the doctor said it would only be a few more pushes.

As she squeezes his hand, Brooke shakes her head. Her hair is wild and sticks to the side of her face, beads of sweat roll along her skin. She's never felt so undone in her life. "I can't," she says finally, puffing out the words with defeat.

"You can't give up."

"I'm not giving up." Brooke cries and, trying to justify it, continues. "It's not giving up if you just can't do it."

The doctor looks up, "I'm going to need you to push, Miss Davis."

"I can't do it. I can't do it," she pants. With tears in her eyes, Brooke looks up at Lucas who is still at her side. "Please, Luke. I'm sorry.. I'm sorry, I just can't." She's so tired and she's in so much pain. All she wants to do is stop. She wants to close her eyes and be back in her comfortable one thousand thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. She lays her head back on the pillow and shakes it back and forth, repeating 'I can't.'

Lucas looks at the middle aged doctor as she shouts something at her nurses. While he has no idea what she just said, he has an idea they were about to do something that he knew Brooke would regret. "Wait," he calls to the doctor. "Wait, please. She can do this." He turns back to Brooke and cups her face. As his palms close on her cheeks, he watches her eyes open. "Did you hear that, Brooke? You can do it. You can do this. Your daughter needs you."

It would be so easy to just stop, but she can't. She stares into those deep blue eyes and finds comfort, and strength. Tears build up in her eyes as she nods and then looks back at the woman sitting at the end of her bed. The staff of nurses look surprised but they stop what they had been doing.

The doctor instructs Brooke to take a deep breath, lower her chin to her chest and push. As much as she doesn't want to, she does exactly what she's told. She pushes and tries to think of the little pink baby book she had at home just waiting for the first picture, and for a baby foot print. She hears Lucas encouraging her and thinks of the crib in the baby's room. She thinks about holding her beautiful baby.

At the count of ten, she takes two quick pants and then goes right back into the push without having been told.

Lucas watches her and counts along with the nurse. He then looks at the doctor and with an almost collective sigh of relief in the room. The doctor announces what they already know. "It's a girl." But hearing the words now were different. He turns to Brooke and runs his hand along her hair, tucking it away from her face. "She's here, Brooke. You did it."

She looks exhausted, sweaty and is panting to catch her breath, but he's never seen her so beautiful before. "You did it." He repeats as he leans in and kisses her forehead.

Her face lighten and she smiles as she wraps one arm around him. It's an awkward position but she feels safe. She's always felt safe here. "We did it." She whispers.


Like I said, I'll update soon. Promise. I owe it to you guys. Please review and be honest, just not cruel. **Rosie