Chapter Thirty

After he gave directions, Nathan and Haley drove to Lucas' house in relative silence. Nathan noticed that it had become sort of a pattern with them; at one point they were enjoying a nice long conversation, at others neither could find anything to say. Trying to think of something to start a conversation with, Nathan recalled the time he had driven her home from the hospital when Brooke had been drugged. A smile came to his face when he remembered that weird 'Holiday' song.

"What is it?"

"Huh?" Nathan looked over at Haley.

"You were smiling," Haley informed him.

"Oh, I was just remembering…um, do you remember that song my Uncle had in his car when I dropped you home?"

Haley grinned as the memory came back to her. "Oh my gosh, yes! That was so funny."

"Is it safe to turn the radio on here?" Nathan gestured to the power button.

"It's fine. Peyton would never allow anything like that in her car. Miss Sawyer, I mean," Haley added.

"It's her car?" Nathan asked. "She doesn't mind?"

"Well, technically it is her car, but we share it. And she doesn't need it now, she's got lessons, and then after school we have the play."

"How's the play coming?"

"It's good so far. Rehearsals started recently, but it's coming along," Haley said. "I think you said you signed up for backstage, didn't you? Nathan?" Haley added when he didn't reply. Since they had stopped for the red light she took her eyes off the road and looked to her right. Nathan seemed to be looking at something on the pavement. "Nathan?"

This time he jerked his head back around. "Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course," he said quickly.

Haley looked over at the area he had been staring at and spotted a familiar face turning the corner. "Isn't that Lucas' mom?"

"You know her?"

"Parent's day," Haley said simply.

Nathan nodded and leaned back in his seat, looking uncomfortable.

"Nathan is something wrong?" Haley asked.

"No."

"You just seem a little fazed…were you afraid that she would see you here?" Haley guessed, not sure that she wanted his answer.

"No, that's not it," Nathan replied.

"Then what is it?"

Nathan shrugged slightly. "My back just hurts," he said finally.

Haley kept looking at him, uncertain if she should believe him, but then the light turned green and she drove the last few blocks to their destination; the silence creeping upon them once more.

That evening, as Lucas was changing after his shower, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He quickly put his shirt on before shouting, "Come in!"

Nathan did so, and closed the door silently. "Hey. You going out?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Brooke's. How're you feeling?" Lucas inquired.

"I'm fine."

"Listen, I couldn't thank you properly for beating the crap out of Damien at school, so thanks."

Nathan smiled. "My pleasure; but, you should keep an eye out. He threatened to take it out on you too."

Lucas shrugged. "I'm not scared of him."

"Good."

"So," Lucas began, as he picked up his jacket and put his cell phone in his pocket, "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Actually, there was something I have to tell you."

"So you have more secrets than the fact that you're a 25 year old masquerading as a 19 year old so you can catch a high school drug dealer?" Lucas joked.

"Luke, this is serious," Nathan said, and from his tone Lucas could tell that it was. "Maybe you should sit down."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"Look, I wasn't sure whether or not to tell you this, but I thought about it and I decided that if the situation was reversed then I'd want you to tell me and that's why I'm telling you, okay?"

Lucas nodded, then froze. "You have feelings for Brooke."

"What?"

"You have feelings for Brooke! Unbelievable! She's 8 years younger than you, Nathan. And, you were the one who always told me to tell her how I –"

"I don't have feelings for Brooke!" Nathan interrupted.

"You don't?"

He shook his head. "No. No, this is something else."

"Oh. Sorry. Well, what is it?"

Nathan took a deep breath before he began. "Today when I came home early from school…I saw something."

"What did you see?"

"Your mom."

"Okay, well, what's wrong with that? She was probably on her lunch break."

"Probably, but that's not the thing. She was with this man…and they looked kind of…"

Lucas stood up, offended. "Hey! He was probably one of her friends -"

"I saw them kiss, Lucas."

Brooke fluttered about her bedroom, lighting the candles she had bought on impulse a few days ago. She wasn't sure how Lucas would react to her plans for tonight, but she was hoping it would be good.

The doorbell rang just as she was lighting the last one. Lucas was late for a change, but luckily it had worked out well. She quickly put the lighter into her cupboard drawer and tied her fluffy pink robe around her tighter, before going down the stairs.

She opened the door with a bright smile on her face, but it faltered the moment she saw him. "Lucas, are you okay?"

He shook his head slightly. "Sorry, I'm late. I should have called."

"That's okay. Come in," she said, as she ushered him inside. He trudged inside the house, but just stood there in the entrance, making no move to say or do anything, the same distraught look on his face. Brooke moved to stand beside him after she closed the front door. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I…Well…Today…" Lucas sighed and raked a hand through his messy hair.

"Come sit," Brooke led him to the sofa and sat him down, before sitting next to him, curled up against his side. "What happened?"

"My parents are getting divorced."

"What? Oh my God, Lucas, I'm so sorry." She hugged him from the side and Lucas put his arm around her, pulling her closer.

"Thanks."

"Well, what happened – I mean, how…"

"Nathan saw my Mom with another man."

"When?" Brooke asked, even more shocked.

"This morning, on his way home from school."

"Oh my God. Oh, but then your Dad…" Brooke trailed off again. Lucas' Mom had always been nice to her, but it was his Dad that she had really liked. Keith was a really nice guy.

"My Dad knew."

Now, she was confused. "Huh?"

"Apparently, my parents decided a while ago that they didn't love each other, but they didn't get divorced because…"

"Because?" Brooke prodded.

"Because of me. They didn't want to hurt me so they decided to separate without telling anyone, but still live together until I left home." Lucas remained silent for a while, so Brooke didn't say anything either, wanting to give him some space. "I just, I can't believe they pretended like that you know? And it's my fault that they had to."

"Lucas, it's not your fault!"

"Brooke they specifically said that they stayed together for me. It was my fault that they were unhappy all that time."

"Lucas, it is not your fault," Brooke said certainly. "They did what they did because they loved you. I would give anything to have parents who loved me that much."

"I guess…but I wish they hadn't hid it from me for so long."

"So, you really had no idea that they were having problems?"

"Well…they started sleeping in separate bedrooms a while ago."

"And you thought that was okay?" Brooke said incredulously.

"Well! They never said anything about it. And I didn't want to think of them like that so I didn't…" Lucas sighed and leaned back as Brooke ran her fingers through his hair.

"My Mom is moving in with her boyfriend."

"Her boyfriend?"

"The guy Nathan saw her with. Andy something or other. She wants me to meet him this weekend."

"And are you going to?" Brooke asked.

"I'll think about it," Lucas said after a moment.

"You know, if you want to be alone right now, I don't mind. You can come over another time."

"No, no. I'd rather be here…with you."

Brooke smiled and kissed him. "Then stay as long as you like."

Lucas grinned. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, what do you want to do?"

"Um…can we just go up to your room and watch a movie like we were going to?" Lucas suggested.

"You want to watch a movie?"

"It'll take my mind off things. You pick."

"Okay, I will." They both stood up as Brooke took Lucas by the hand and led him to the stairs. "Now, this is a perfect opportunity to make you watch a chick flick. However will I choose?"

Lucas chuckled. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Brooke smiled as she went up the steps, but then stopped suddenly, mid-step.

"What is it Brooke?"

"Uh…nothing. I just…my room is a mess. Do you mind waiting while I clean it up? You came before I finished."

"But I came late."

"But I still hadn't finished. Do you mind?" she repeated, looking at him pleadingly.

"I don't mind mess, Brooke –"

Brooke took Lucas up the rest stairs and directed him towards the bathroom. "Why don't you just go to that bathroom and give me 5 minutes to clean up?"

"Why can't I wait in your bathroom?"

"Because to get to my bathroom you have to go to my room and you can't go to my room yet because –"

"It's messy," Lucas finished for her.

"Exactly. So come out in 5 minutes, alright? Thanks, Broody." Leaving him there, Brooke ran to her room and quickly started blowing out the candles before shoving them inside her cupboard.

When Lucas entered he was just in time to see Brooke blowing out the last row of candles that lined the back of the headboard. "Are those candles?"

Brooke dropped the candles she was carrying on the bed. "Lucas! I said 5 minutes."

"It's been five minutes. What's going on?" As he said it, he realized for the first time since he got there that all Brooke was wearing was a robe. "Oh."

Brooke smirked before returning to packing up the candles.

"I'm so-"

"It's okay. It's not your fault," Brooke told him as she put the rest of them in the cupboard. "Some other time."

"Yeah," Lucas smiled. "Some other time."

"So, you get comfortable on the bed while I go change." Lucas nodded and flopped down on the bed as Brooke went inside the bathroom. One second later she came out, hands on her hips. "If this whole thing with your parents hadn't happened and I had tried to seduce you as planned, would it have worked?"

Lucas flushed slightly at the word, "seduce," but then grinned at her. "Depends."

Brooke pouted. "On what?"

"What are you wearing underneath that robe?"

Brooke smirked at him. "That is for me to know…"

"And me to find out?"

"Maybe some other time. I said maybe!" she added, when Lucas started to smirk, before returning to the bathroom to change.

A/N: Before I say anything else I have to thank you all for the reviews! 530! Whoa. You guys are awesome; thanks so much.:) Also, I know a lot of you were expecting more Naley, and that turned out to be actually more of a Brucas chapter, but I promise there is more Naley in the next chapter and some things that you have been waiting for are coming up very soon! Now I'm going to shamelessly plug myself: I've started a new Naley story! It's called Rescued and I hope any Naley fans will check it out!