AN: I'm super excited to announce that I am making a trailer for my next Brucas story! I'm excited but it won't be complete for a little while longer. I will post the link towards the end of this story! Got to keep the Brucas love fanfiction going. Enjoy the new chapter

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to relax it. there was no doubt that he was stressed out with Chris Keller coming back to town and Brooke being in her third trimester.

A jolt ran down his body as he heard a car pull up to the River Court. A black, 2010 Chevy Silverado parked and Keller stepped out of it. Lucas took a deep breath as he saw his once friend walk towards him.

"Hey."

"Keller," Lucas said.

He felt like a guard dog. His eyes had not moved from Keller's once. There was a strange feeling in the air and Lucas was wondering what the nature of this conversation would be. Would Keller still be the same guy that would make the corniest jokes or would this be the version of him that he never knew?

"How have you been?"

There he goes again with the small talk. His blood began to boil. Why couldn't he just come out with it and stop with the games? Lucas was not going to let him get under his skin.

"Pretty good. Work at the shop has kept me pretty busy, actually," Lucas said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Where do you work?"

"Keith's Auto."

Chris let out a laugh to break the silence, "I always pictured you as a grease monkey, even if you always wore a suit to work."

He nodded, "Should have known better than to pretend to be someone I am not."

"Then why are you still pretending?"

Lucas scoffed, "I'm not pretending anymore, Chris. I went through a rough patch and now, I have learned to accept everything."

"Fair enough," he said as he sensed an argument, "What is with you and Brooke Davis?"

"Brooke Davis and I?"

"Yes…"

Without noticing it, Lucas was grinning, "We are together and I am helping to take care of Nathan and her baby."

Chris flinched, "I never thought that you would do something nice for Nathan."

"Nathan isn't alive anymore, Chris."

His eyes widened and his face fell, "I'm sorry to hear that, Lucas."

He nodded as he acknowledged his sadness, "I regret everything that I did in my past, but I guess, that makes us who we are today."

"No shit!" Chris agreed.

"I've always had a thing for Brooke, but I never thought that one day she would be mine, especially under these circumstances…"

"Everything happens for a reason."

Nodding, "It would be nice to know why sometimes though."

Lucas hadn't thought about his teenage years in a while, but he started to regret some of his actions more and more. He regretted that he let Dan get in the way of his relationship with Nathan. He was too consumed by the thought that Nathan had a mother and a father, all he had was his struggling mom.

He exhaled slowly, "What did you come back here for, Chris?"

Chris Keller's hands weren't clean either. There were a lot of things that he had done since he left Tree Hill and some of them still haunted him. He made some bad deals and got caught up with the wrong people.

Chris avoided Lucas' eyes, "Well, let's just say that I made a few bad choices in my life too, but there is only one difference, I had no choice but to."

"I'm not following you," Lucas said as he failed to connect the dots.

"You were the reason that we all lost our jobs and the company tanked!" he snapped.

He exhaled sharply. Lucas hadn't heard anyone blame him for the company going under, especially not someone that was once his best friend.

"Chris…"

"No, you made some really bad deals and screwed everyone out of a fucking pay check!"

Lucas sat there in silence and tried to figure out something to say to him, but what was there to say to him? Sure, it wasn't entirely his fault that the company had tanked, but he did have a hand in the company failing.

"Do you know what it is like to be making what we were and then go to making nothing?" he said with a sigh. "Bills start adding up and I am still so far in debt, Lucas."

He ran his fingers through his hair, "What do you want me to say, Chris?"

Lucas hopped up from the bench and walked around in slow circles. His mind was going crazy. There was no way that he just wanted to come here to tell him he was mad at him.

"I need money, Lucas!"

Lucas chuckled. He was working overtime in the shop to pay for the rent, bills, some of his debt, and the baby. If anything, Lucas was the one that needed money. Unfortunately, there was not enough money in the world to pay for everything that he wanted.

"I have nothing to give you," he said softly.

Chris rolled his eyes, "I am so far in debt and there is no way that I can go to jail, Lucas!"

"I don't know what the fuck you want from me," Lucas mumbled.

"You have to give me some money!"

Lucas shook his head and chuckled. Chris Keller was being pathetic and there was no reason for him to begging for money. He could have picked a better occupation than coffee shop musician. This was further proof that Haley should stay far away from him.

"I don't want to have to do this, Luke…"

He turned to face him, his eyes were watering, "Do what?"

"Finally give Dan the information to what happened to his beloved car dealership."

A cold chill washed over him and he tried to breathe. This wasn't going to be good.

Brooke took a long deep breath and knocked on the door. She had felt like enough time had passed for her to get over the chaos that happened last time that she was here. Going to visit Nathan's parents always made her a little more depressed because he wasn't there to go with her.

Deb opened the door and wrapped her arms around her, "Good to see you, Brooke!"

Brooke smiled as she gave her a small squeeze, "Good to see you too, Deb."

"Come on in," Deb said as she ushered her.

Brooke sat down at the table across from Dan. He was busy writing something in a notebook. Nathan looked so much like Dan that she almost wondered if little Nate would look like him too.

She twiddled her thumbs as she waited for Dan to acknowledge her. His eyes remained on the notebook and Brooke felt uncomfortable. It became obvious to her that she would have to start the conversation. "Hello, Dan."

"Hello," he said unfazed.

She felt like she had been shot, "How are you?"

"Content."

"What brings you by?" Deb asked as she broke the awkwardness that surrounded her.

"You wanted me to come over and I wanted to show you the pictures from the 3d sonogram," Brooke said as she opened her purse to find the photos.

"You finally decided to answer us," Dan mumbled.

Deb quickly shushed him, "Enough, Dan."

Brooke tried to keep it together; she slid the pictures to Deb, "Looks just like Nathan."

Deb covered her mouth and let out a tear, "It does look just like my baby boy."

"I'm sorry," Brooke said softly.

It had been bugging her for weeks that she failed to call them and apologize for the scene that happened last time that she was here. Lucas was way out of line, as was Dan, but they still deserved an apology. Brooke didn't know what it was like to be in their shoes, but she was still going to have their grandchild.

"For?" Dan asked as he closed the notebook.

"I didn't know that Lucas was going to make the scene that he did. Regardless of your relationship with one another, that has nothing to do with your grandchild. I want you guys to be just as much of a part of this baby's life as you do."

Deb nodded her head, "I don't want Lucas to ruin the relationship that we have."

Brooke turned to Dan and placed a hand on his, "Your relationship with Lucas is none of my business and not my concern, but he is still your son."

Dan just looked at her. Brooke needed him to know that Lucas was his son and that he hurt because Dan was never there for him.

"My child won't have a daddy, but Lucas is going to play the daddy role and you have to accept that—"

"Lucas isn't his father!" Dan snapped.

"Nathan isn't here, Dan! I don't want my child to grow up without a father figure!" she hissed.

Deb interjected, "Who's hungry?"

Brooke rolled her eyes. This was the hard part of Nathan not being here, dealing with his parents and not being able to put them in their place. If Nathan were here, Dan would probably have a different attitude.

AN: Stay tuned!