A/N: First, this chapter is significantly longer than my other chapters so far. I had a lot more to say in this chapter, and I also wanted to give a little present for everyone really hanging in with me lately. I know I promised this a lot sooner so, at least there's extra in this one.

I also want to say that I'm taking some suggestions from people who have PMd me. There are some things they ask to see that I want to satisfy, so I hope I'm able to do that well. As far as this chapter goes, it's named after a Gloriana song, but I mostly listened to "You're Gonna Be" by Reba, and "Belief" by Gavin DeGraw--which is pretty much my Brucas go-to song. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and make sure to review. Also, if there's something you want to see, feel free to PM me and I'll take it into consideration.

Thank you for all your support and please enjoy. I will try to get another update in before the 17th (which is when my best friend is coming to visit). If the update isn't done by then, it will be done after the 21st. Take care everyone!

Chapter Seven

Come and Save Me

The hours til sunset pass with excruciating pain.

Brooke Davis sits in her daughter's bedroom, her arms curl around the little girl's pillow. She should be at home, Brooke thinks as she notices the time. Right about now, she would be crawling into Grace's bed, with a book, to read her a bedtime story.

Last night's story had been Sleeping Beauty. Tonight was supposed to be Beauty and the Beast. It's Grace's favorite story. The little girl would cuddle up against her mother's chest, one ear listening to the soft beat of mom's heart, the other paying attention to the story, and slowly she would lull to sleep.

Brooke wipes her hand over her cheek and takes a deep breath. It's impossible to sit still like this when so much time was passing and her daughter still isn't home. She puts the pillow down and rises from the bed. She grabs her cell phone from the table and checks it's call log for the hundredth time. She knows it didn't ring, but just in case she'd been struck with momentary deafness, she wanted to make sure.

Nothing.

As the sigh escapes her lips, she hears the sound of a door opening. For a moment, her heart jumps through her chest and she runs out of the bedroom, down the hallway, and into the living room. Her eyes immediately search for her little girl but they instead fall on the figure of a tall, dark haired man who Grace affectionately calls 'famous uncle Nate.'

Brooke sighs, her hopes falling. "I thought you were.." She turns and walks towards the couch, then sits and puts her palms against her face, rubbing her eyes slowly.

After he shuts the door, Nathan watches her for a second. He remembers what he felt like when Jamie had been kidnapped. His heart ached for her. As he walks over to the couch to sit beside her, he puts his hand on her shoulder. "We're going to find her, Brooke."

While Brooke wants to believe the best, she can't fight that huge knot of worry and fear that's attached itself to her stomach. All she can think about are the moments that lead to her daughter's disappearance. She does't deserve his comfort. "It's my fault." She says as she stands up from the couch. Her arms cross over her chest as she walks across the living room, and stands in front of the front window. How she wishes she could just see her baby girl walking up to the house right now.

Perking an eyebrow, Nathan follows her. "What are you talking about?"

Her eyes close as she shakes her head. Then she decides to change the subject, "Where's Haley?"

Nathan slips his hands into his jeans pockets, "She's back at the house with the kids. She wanted me to check on you. Now what did you mean it was your fault? It's not your fault she ranaway." He knew what it felt like to have his child taken, sure, but he also knew that sinking feeling of fear when you go to your child's room and they're not there. Jamie had runaway before, and it was a fear that only a parent would understand. When she didn't say anything, Nathan urged, "Brooke.."

"We fought." Brooke spat as she turned. She couldn't even look up at her friend. She felt too embarassed to see him right now.

"You and Grace?"

She shook her head, "No. Me and Julian. We fought in front of her. God, how could I be so stupid? She must have been so scared. I scared my daughter, Nate. My parents fought all the time when I was little. I would sit against my door in my bedroom and put my hands over my ears so I didn't have to hear them, but I always did. I told myself that I would never do that to my own children." Her fingers were shaking with that, and she curled them around the fabric of her shirt to keep them steady.

"You're a mom, Brooke. That doesn't mean you have to be perfect. Haley and I slip sometimes and fight in front of the kids. We try not to but sometimes it just happens. That doesn't mean it's your fault that she left.." He told Brooke once a long time ago that she could always talk to him. Having come from similar backgrounds, he didn't think anyone else would understand her as well as he could. And through the years, they've become really close friends. He hated seeing her like this.

"No, it means that she didn't feel safe enough staying home and had to leave to get away from the fighting." Her head fills with images of Grace in her room, listening to the yelling down the hall. It broke her heart. "I promised her that I would love her, and protect her, keep her safe.. and now she's out there, God knows where, and it's all my fault."

* * *

Six pounds and nine ounces of beautiful baby focus blue eyes up at the tired brunette. Brooke Davis still hears her daughter's first cry replaying in her head as she smiles down at the now quiet baby. She's floored by the feeling that came over her the first moment she held her little girl. Now, after feeding her for the first time, she sits in the silence of the room and can't seem to take her eyes off of her little miracle.

She runs her fingertip along the apple of her daughter's cheek. The motion brings a wide, toothless smile across her little face and it makes Brooke giggle. It was love, unlike any other love she had ever experienced. She's so infatuated that she doesn't even hear the knock at the door, or the sound of it opening slowly until Lucas's voice whispers a soft 'hey.'

Brooke looks up, the smile on her face. "Hey Lucas, come here. Before she falls asleep."

He steps into the room, shutting the door behind himself, and walks slowly around the bed. He leans over a little and for the first time, his eyes really focus on the angel in Brooke's arms. "She's.." He feels overwhelmed. Her little eyelids grow heavy and he watches her long lashes switch between closing and blinking open.

"..beautiful." Brooke finishes for him. She's too taken not to. She watches as her baby girl finally succumbs to sleep.

Lucas smiles and slowly lowers himself to sit on the bed beside her. He lets one arm slide around her shoulders. It wasn't a calculated move, it just came naturally. "She looks like you." He whispers as he nods at her comment. "You did great, Brooke. I'm proud of you."

She's unable to look away from her baby. "I couldn't have done it without you, Luke."

"That's not true." He says as he leans forward and brushes the back of his index finger along the tiny hand. His smile widens as he watches her fingers open and close when he touches them. Lucas remembers how every single moment he had with his own daughter felt magical, and he knew Brooke was feeling that now as well. "What are you going to name her?" He asks. It wasn't fair but he hadn't spent a lot of time with Brooke lately, so he was sad to say he didn't know if she had even picked a name yet.

She smirks, leaning back against the pillow and Lucas's arm. "I don't know. I had this list. Haley and I have been looking through these name books, but.." she starts as she watches the little faces her baby makes. "I can't remember a single one of them now."

"Well, it'll come to you." He says, his thumb rubbing soft circles against her shoulder, without even realizing he was doing it.

Brooke mouths the word yeah, knowing that she'd find the right name for her baby. In that moment, she realizes that while Julian wasn't here, she didn't feel like she missed anything. Her heart should be breaking to know that the father of her daughter, a child she just gave birth to, wasn't there. It just wasn't.

She turns her head to the side and hesitates for a moment when she sees how intently Lucas is looking at her baby. His eyes are wide and caring, full of emotion. She remembers then that he hadn't gotten the chance to be there when Penny was born. Peyton had been rushed to the emergency room and he had to look on from afar, not even able to hold his daughter for a little while after the birth.

This was an important moment for him as well. "Do you want to hold her?"

He looks up then, surprise written all over his face. "Wh--are you sure? What about Julian?"

"Julian's not here," she says softly, so as not to wake the baby. "But you are. And you were when I needed you." While she's spent time with both Jamie and Penny, she was still a little nervous with her baby. It was a little awkward as she learned how to gently and safely hand off her daughter. She looked even smaller in Lucas's big embrace, if that was even possible. Brooke puts her hand on his arm and then leans her chin against his shoulder. "Besides, it was only through the grace of God that I didn't have to do that alone."

Lucas pretty much holds his breath as he takes the baby into his arms. She doesn't wake, which he almost wished she had. His body remembers the feel of an infant, so he holds her, softly rocking her. As he listens to Brooke's voice, he smiles. "Grace.." Then he turns back to look at her. She wasn't his daughter to name.

As he says it, it feels like the puzzle pieces came together on their own. "Grace," she repeats to herself, and the smile grows. "Grace. I like that." Part of her tells her that she should wait for Julian, but she wasn't sure how long that would be, and her daughter deserved a name. "I think it's perfect."

He agrees, and adds, "It's perfect for your daughter, Brooke Davis." She had grown from a wild girl with too much money and too little supervision into a strong, beautiful and independant woman. She knew how to handle herself with poise, and grace, like a real lady. And so would her daughter.

Brooke smiles at Lucas and then cuddles her cheek against his shoulder as she turns back to her baby, her little Grace. And in that moment, she promises to love that baby, to keep her safe from anything that could hurt her, and to always be there for her. "Thank you," she whispers to Lucas as she closes her eyes.

Grace Elizabeth.

* * *

There's no way that Lucas was going to go back to the house until he found Grace. She was so young, and the images that filled his head refused to let him stop looking. He circled around town for the fifth time, stopping people that he knew on the streets and asking them, but no one had seen Gracie. His stomach tightened as he called her name and ran down the street again. He sighed at a street corner and put his hands on his hips. Where could she be?

He pulled out his cell phone and checked to make sure he hadn't missed any calls. He hadn't. Once the light turned green, he checked both ways and then hurried across the street. While he'd gone through the Rivercourt more times then he could count, it was the only place he would have gone when he was younger. So he went down the road and stopped at the top of the hill. He scanned the courtyard but no one was there.

It was empty.

Lucas sighed and tried to go over everything once again. There was no way that he was going to go back without Grace. He had promised Brooke and hell, even if he hadn't, he wouldn't just leave her out here.

It was dark out now. The streetlights were his only companion, which made this a lot more difficult. He stopped, for just a moment, and went through the list of places he's been. When he was young and he wanted to get away from his mom, he used to go to the cafe. But Lucas had already checked Brooke's store.

Then, as another memory came back to him, he felt like he'd just been hit in the face. How could he had forgotten? He took off down the street without another thought.

* * *

Haley James Scott sat on her husband's recliner, even though she'd rather be out of the house, helping look for Grace. But she was put in charge of taking care of the kids, and that included keeping them from being afraid. She had sat both Jamie and Penny down and told them what was going on. They were both too smart and would have figured out something was wrong anyway.

Now she was sitting with Brian, rubbing his back, as he slept against her chest. Jamie had fallen asleep as well, curled up on the couch. It was getting late and they still hadn't gotten word about Grace. Haley was really starting to worry but she didn't want the kids to know.

When she heard a noise from the kitchen, she got up from the chair. After putting Brian down in his playpen, she head towards the kitchen. The light from the refridgerator was casting shadows on most of the room but in the midst of it she smiled at the blonde girl who looked to be making a sandwhich. Haley smirked as she flicked the kitchen light on. "Excuse me."

Penny looked up like she'd just been caught committing a crime. The deer in headlights look faded only a little when she saw it was her aunt Haley.

With arms crossed, Haley asked, "What are you doing, little missy? Shouldn't you be asleep? It's late."

She nodded and then looked down at the sandwhich she was in the middle of putting together and then back up at Haley. "I was just making a sammitch." She said.

Her curls bounced around her face and Haley couldn't help but smile. She walked over to the little girl and knelt beside her, starting to pick up the bottles of condiments, and bag of sliced cheese that Penny had pulled out. "Are you hungry?"

Penny shook her head no at first, and then stopped and nodded.

Grinning, Haley picked everything up and put it on the counter. "Alright, well next time, you should ask me or uncle Nathan, or Jamie. We'll help you put it together, okay?" She watched Penny nod as she started to fix the sandwhich herself. Haley noticed that Penny was being particularly quiet, so she asked curiously, "Are you worried about Grace?" She spread the mustard evenly along the bread with a butter knife.

"No," Penny said simply. Then she jumped a little and nodded, "I mean, yes."

Haley perked a brow at Penny's reaction as she put some cheese in the sandwhich and then cut it diagonally. She was probably just tired, Haley figured. She cut the crusts off next and put the sandwhich on a small plate. "Well just know that she's going to be back before you know it. How about I come sit with you for a little while, hmm?"

Penny looked up as she took the plate. "No, don't."

Her little voice seemed so..

Haley looked up, sidetracked from her thought as she heard the knock at the door. So she just let it go, "Alright. Go on to bed. Your daddy will be back soon." There wasn't even any pause as Penny turned and hurried up the stairs with her sandwhich. Haley watched her until she heard the knock at her front door again.

She shut the refridgerator door, then walked through the living room to the front door. Lucas was walking in before she even had it all the way open. "Luke.." She turned and closed the door behind him. "What's up? Did you find her?"

Lucas had a one track mind right now. He only wondered why he hadn't thought of this sooner. "January eighteenth. We were nine years old, you remember?"

Surprised, Haley's eyes widened slightly. "I know I have a good memory, Luke, but that's a little specific, don't you th--"

He was already talking before she even got to finish her sentance. "Dan came by the house earlier that day, and Keith let him in. My mom got home not long after that and kicked him out. Then she got in a big fight with Keith, probably the most yelling I've ever heard between the two of them."

What was he trying to get at? Haley wondered. "Okay, and what does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

Lucas just smirked and started to walk up the stairs towards the bedroom that was used just for Penny or Grace when they spent the night. Haley followed close behind and Lucas continued. "I hated hearing mom and Keith fight so I ran away."

All of it was slowly starting to come back to her. "Yeah, and they found you down at the Rivercourt. I'm still not following you."

He stopped in front of the closed door of the little girl's room. "But I didn't go to the Rivercourt first." He said. When he looked at Haley, he could see the memories coming back to her. "I went to my best friend's house first." As he said it, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. He didn't even have to look. He should have picked up on this sooner.

The door opened and sitting there part way in the closet was Grace holding half of the sandwhich. Sitting beside her was Penny, with the other half. They both looked up with wide eyes. Haley gasped and put her hands on her hips.

Lucas just turned to look at them. Grace started to sink back into the closet, and he just shook his head. "Go call Brooke. I need to have a word with my daughter." He crossed his arms over his chest as Haley left, and Penny sunk down a little.

She tried to smile and said a small, "Hi daddy."

* * *

"Brooke, you're a great mother. Somehow our parents didn't screw us up so much that we couldn't do that. It's okay to make a mistake, you're still human. You can't be so hard on yourself." Nathan leaned forward in the chair he'd taken up and looked over at her. "I know you're upset, and it's normal to blame yourself, but you have to start giving yourself some credit. You pretty much raise that little girl by yourself, and I know that can't be easy."

She shook her head and looked down at her hands clenched together, "I hardly do that by myself. I always have someone around. I have Lucas, and you and Haley."

"Listen, I know I'm not going to be able to change your mind right now but once Grace is home and you have time to get your head on straight, just think about what I said okay? This isn't your fault, and you are a good mom."

Brooke finally looked up with the best half-smile she could muster. Nathan was good to her, they all were, maybe more than they needed to be, but she was thankful for them. She was about to tell him just that when her phone rang. Jumping up, she snatched her cell off the table, flipped it open and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

Her heart jumped in her throat.

"I'll be right there." She hung up the phone, "It's Haley. Grace is at your house. I have to go."

Nathan jumped up, "I'll drive you."

"Thank you." They both ran for the door. It only took a few minutes to get there, but they passed by so slowly. She felt like she was stuck in glue as she tried to run. She needed to see Grace to know that she was okay, so she tried to distract herself. She dialed Julian's number but it went straight to voicemail.

"Julian, it's Brooke. Grace is at Haley's. I'm going there now. Call me." Then she hung up and anxiously flipped her phone open and closed until Nathan pulled the car up at his house. Brooke jumped out before it was even fully stopped and hurried inside. "Haley," She called out as she stepped into the house.

Obviously jarred, Haley looked up. "Upstairs. Guest room."

Brooke took off. She ran up the stairs. The door was open so she rushed in. Lucas was sitting on the bed, Penny sitting at the edge and Grace between the two. Brooke felt the tears spring into her eyes the second she saw her daughter. "Oh, thank God."

"Mommy!" The second Grace threw her hands in the air, Brooke was scooping her up off the bed. She squeezed her close, afraid to ever let her go. "I'm sorry, mommy." Grace cried over Brooke's shoulder as she clung to her mom.

"Don't you ever run away like that again," Brooke said through the tears of relief on her face. "You scared me so much. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you." She sniffled as she looked over at Lucas. She wanted to thank him for finding her but she couldn't manage any other words. She broke the stare and turned in to her daughter, covering her face with kisses. "I love you so much, baby."

Grace's blue eyes were filled with tears too. She hadn't realized how upset she had been until she was back in her mother's arms. "I love you too, mommy."

* * *

"You didn't have to walk us home," Brooke says as she fishes into her jeans pocket and pulls out the house key. After they had both calmed down, she and Grace had a talk that would be continued in the morning. It was late so she wanted to take her baby girl home. Penny had fallen asleep at Haley's so Lucas had offered to let her sleep there and walk Brooke and Grace home.

Grace had fallen asleep on Brooke's shoulder as they walked the few blocks over.

Lucas shrugged, "I know, but I don't mind." He said, stepping in to take her place. He unlocked the door for her so she didn't have to struggle between her daughter and the key. Once the door was open, he flicked on the living room lights and stepped back to let her in.

She thanked him as she walked into the house. "Remind me tomorrow to buy some nails and nail her window shut." She was only half kidding. "I'm going to put her down. Get yourself something to drink." Julian still hadn't called, even though Brooke had tried another four times, leaving two more messages, so she didn't know what to do about him. As far as Grace went, it was time for her to sleep.

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief as she finally got her daughter into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. For a minute, she just sat there and stared. She would have been lost if anything had ever happened to her baby Gracie. Brushing her fingers along her daughters darker strands, Brooke then leaned in and kissed Grace's forehead. She whispered, "I love you," against her skin and then finally pulled herself away. She checked to make sure the window was locked and then turned the teddy bear night light on.

As she was shutting the door, the small voice came out quietly. "Love you more." Brooke hesitated in the door and looked at the little girl in bed, her features just barely outlined by the moonlight coming in through the window.

Her heart was full again.

Smiling, Brooke softly shut the door and then went slowly towards the living room. Lucas was standing at the refridgerator, holding a picture in his hand. Brooke walked towards him so she could see which one he was looking at. Her smile grew when she saw herself in the hospital bed the day she gave birth to Grace. If it hadn't been for Lucas sitting beside her with Gracie in his arms, she wouldn't have put it on display. But that picture was from the first day of her daughter's life. Lucas had been there.

Brooke was starting to realize that Lucas had always been there.

She let out a breath as she turned her head up to look at him. "Thank you. For finding her. I don't know what I would have done if--"

"Don't even think about it." He urged. He knew that he would have been broken in pieces if he had ever lost his daughter. While it had been difficult to get over the death of Peyton, he had been able to do it. Losing Penny would be a loss he would never recover from, so he knew how Brooke felt. "You never have to worry about that."

Nodding, Brooke leaned her head on his shoulder. Then she took a step in and rolled slightly so her nose was against his collarbone. Lucas instinctively curled his arms around her, one hand settling on her lower spine, the other on the back of her head.

He closed his eyes as he felt her squeezing onto him. His fingers slid between the strands of her hair, brushing through it slowly. She still felt the same. Her hair was soft, her skin was warm, and he knew that inside, she was feeling less than deserving of all the things she had, especially the little girl in the next room. He wanted her to understand just how much of it she did deserve. She had always been there for her friends, even sacrificing her own wants for someone else's. And in same cases, his own.

He held her a little closer.

It was his heartbeat that she was listening to, strong and steady. So much like him. Despite the problem he had with it, it was still there. Having worried so much about Grace made her think about what she would do if she didn't have Lucas either. What if something horrible had happened to him? What if he never knew how grateful she was for his help? What if she never told him how much he had changed her life? Ever since the moment she laid eyes on him in high school, on the basketball court, she'd known somehow that her life would never be the same.

Lucas Scott had changed it completely, and she couldn't be happier.

She pulled back just a few inches so she could look at him and tell him just that. "Lucas," But she couldn't finish that.

He wasn't exactly sure what had come over him but having the feeling of Brooke Davis in his arms again had triggered that part inside of his soul that he sometimes forgot existed until it overwhelmed him. He had done a good job of keeping it down. At least he thought he had. Instead, it had been coming undone, one inch at a time. And before he had time to realize what was happening, it had consumed him.

Maybe he had been blind before, but right now he saw everything clearly.

When she moved, he looked into those dark eyes and he could see straight into her soul. She wore her heart on her sleeve, whether she meant to or not. He moved his hand from the small of her back to cup the side of her face. Lucas followed the line of her jaw to her lips and pulled her in to meet him. His lips pressed against hers and he felt like his feet weren't even touching the floor anymore.

Nothing else mattered in that moment. Her mind had gone blank. No thoughts were left. Nothing but feelings. And without her brain to get in her way, there was nothing to stop her. Lucas had always been there and despite how deeply she had buried her feelings, they hadn't gone away. His mouth reminded her that she was human, and his taste brought back her heartbeat. She curled her arms around his body and felt her breath catch in her throat as the kiss deepened.

He wanted more of her, and she wanted more of him.

Lucas stepped forward and Brooke stumbled back until she was pressed against the kitchen wall. His hands moved along her body, feeling her, touching her, coming to life with every brush. As they kissed, he moved his hands along her sides, then up the curve of her back. His fingertips found the zipper at the back of her shirt and slowly lowered it. If she told him to stop, he would. But right now, this was all he had wanted for the longest time, longer than he would let himself admit.

Once unzipped, Brooke lowered her arms so that he could strip the shirt from her body. It was dropped to the ground but she hardly cared about it. Stepping away from it, she curled her fingers into his tshirt. When his arms raised over his head, she peeled it away and dropped it beside hers.

Her fingers moved to his chest. His skin was warm and she could feel his pulse starting to race. It matched hers. She moaned against his lips, taken by surprise from all this, but not afraid of it. Not now at least.

Lucas pressed his hips against hers, holding her back against the wall as he felt excitement electrocuting through his veins. He wanted to say more but the words were all but lost in this moment. Instead, he let his hands wander her body freely, almost greedily, but with Brooke, it wasn't just about taking.

He lowered himself then and scooped her up into his arms. He smiled as she squealed and then walked her into her bedroom. He shut the door behind him, using his foot, and then gently laid her on the bed. He pressed soft kisses to her stomach and up to her neck as he lowered on top of her. "If you want me to stop--" He started to whisper against her lips.

Brooke bent one leg at his side, already out of breath. "I don't." She said, looking up at him. She knew that he would stop if she told him, but that was the last thing she wanted. Her fingertips drew slowly along his jawline, and she kissed his lips, before adding, "I want you, Lucas."

He softly kissed hers back.

"I want you too, Brooke."


Please review. Good or bad is fine, just don't be cruel. Thanks again everyone! ** Rosie