Hey all! Thank you so much for the reviews! I expect this story to be shortish and I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter and the way I've written it. :sigh: Oh well. Hope this makes things a bit clearer. Enjoy!

Two Years Ago

Brooke Davis walks down the busy streets of New York City, trying with all her might to make it to her lunch date on time for once. Victoria wouldn't let her leave the house before she delivered thirty sketches for the upcoming fall line, taking up a good twenty minutes out of the thirty she had to travel to get to the small restaurant. She glances down at her cell phone in her hand and lets out an aggravated sigh. Ten minutes late.

She moves her purse higher up on her arm as she pushes through the crowded sidewalk, thanking god she left the house in flats. Her feet were beginning to hurt already and the late summer heat was making the walk even more unbearable than it already was. Finally she sees the sign dangling from above the door and lets out a sigh of relief. She squeezes in to the small cafe, the cool air hitting her sweaty skin as she looks around for the familiar blonde head of hair.

She mumbles apologies as she kisses the side of this head before slipping into the chair across from him. "It's okay. I'm just glad your crazy mother let you leave the house," he responds with a laugh as the waitress walks by, setting down the drinks that Lucas has already ordered for them. Ever since he moved into the city four months ago, they've made it a habit to hang out whenever they could so the big bad city seemed a little less lonely.

"Tell me about it. She insisted I get thirty sketches done before I left. I swear, that woman is a Nazi," she laughs before sipping the ice tea that has been set in front of her. They talk for hours, even after they finish the food they ordered, talk about work and home and their week. Talk about how their dreams have finally come true and that it's not all that it was envisioned to be.

"Are you sure she's not gonna lock you in the dungeon tonight," he jokes and she rolls her eyes before shrugging. She wouldn't put it past her mother to lock her up just so she can be 110 percent devoted to her work.

"I'm gonna make it to the dinner. I promise." She'll have to tell Victoria that, no, she refuses to go to another premiere with some stupid model she's hired, and be yelled at but it'll all be worth it. Hanging out with Lucas and saving him for potentially boring business men who want to chat about everything but his book will be a better way to spend her time.

She glances over at the wall clock and mumbles 'Shit', before getting up. She's spent way too much time here and she knows Victoria is probably flipping out. She motions to pull out her wallet but he shakes his head, standing up with her. "I told you this lunch was my treat," he says, throwing a twenty down on the table.

"It's always your treat," she reminds him and he shrugs. "You should at least let me pay half."

"Don't be ridiculous. Besides, you're going to me with tonight. There's how you can pay me back."

She laughs as they walk back into the hot and sticky world. "I'd go with you any way." She wipes the sweat already forming on her brow away before hugging him. "Thank you. I'll see you later."

Present Time

Brooke sits uncomfortably in the airport, waiting for her plane to board and she taps her foot nervously. Lucas has called her a few times already and she hasn't had a cigarette since last night. She looks around and wonders if there's a smoking area. She doubts it but her stomach is killing her and she wants one oh so badly. But she refuses to let herself have, hates herself for smoking that one last night and instead takes out another piece of gum from her purse and closes her eyes. She could do this, it'd be fine.

The flight attendant alerts her that first class was now boarding and she gets up, grabbing her purse and carry on before looking at her phone once more. Another call from Lucas. They were supposed to have breakfast.

She turns the phone off before heading to the terminal.

Two Years Ago

She moves about her apartment frantically searching for the shoes she intended to wear to Lucas' dinner. They weren't in her closet, nor were they anywhere in her room, and she half thinks that maybe Rachel took them when she sees her mother standing in her living room, the shoes hanging for her fingers. "Looking for these?" She hates her mother's voice she truly does.

"Yes, I am." She walks up, tries to grab them but naturally, her mother moves them back, shaking her head in that disappointed manner.

"You have a premiere to attend tonight Brooke. Are you going to the premiere?" She could easily lie and say yes. Her dress is fancy enough and she's all done up but some how she feels as though her mother already knows. And if she's caught in a lie Victoria Davis' wrath could potentially reach Hitler level. She begins to open her mouth but Victoria shakes her head again. "You are going to the premiere tonight. I have a date for you in the car and I'll be going with you as always."

Her shoulders slump and Victoria immediately lectures her on posture and Brooke simply turns around and walks back into her room. "I have gone to too many premieres to remember this past year," she shouts, reaching into her closet and slipping on the simplest red heels she could find. She grabs her purse and enters the living room once more, not once looking at her mother. "I am going to my friend's congratulatory dinner. Please don't be here when I get back."

She slams the door behind her and pauses, stunned at herself for telling off her mother. It felt good. It also made her feel like she was going to throw up.


She's late again but it's okay, because she looks so god damn beautiful that he honestly thinks the world would bow down to her. "I just told off my mom," she says immediately, not even letting him get out a 'hello'. "I am going to be in so much shit."

He laughs and just hugs her, tells her she looks beautiful and she blushes slightly. "You'll be fine... and if not, you'll at least have alcohol in you."

They make their way through the party, talking to numerous men and women about Lucas' novel and life and who exactly she was and revealing their shock when they realize she's Brooke Davis from the book and they never would've made the connection to Clothes Over Bros. At some point, Lucas is torn away from her side and she's forced to mingle alone, something she's always hated. An old man who reminds her of her father has been talking to her for the past twenty minutes about rice and she has to excuse herself before she screams.

She walks over to one of the many windows, holding her champagne glass as she looks out at all the city lights. It's beautiful and even though no stars are visible, there's millions of 'stars' on the buildings surrounding her.

He watches her from across the room, her black dress with the plunging back reveal her shoulder blades and soft pale skin. Her silver necklace is visible due to her upswept hair and he smiles at the old high school item. She looks bored and lonely and even though he's actually talking business, he walks away and over to her.

"You ready to go," he asks, placing a hand on the small of her back and she turns to look at him, surprised by his presence.

She smiles and glances back out at the illuminated city before looking back at him. "Don't you have to stay longer?" He shakes his head and tells her they can leave. He offers his spare bedroom, knowing she doesn't want to be around Victoria after what's happened.

"Can we watch Weird Science," she asks as they step into their taxi and he laughs.

Present Time

She walks into the London airport and glances at her next ticket to see which gate she had to go to next. She grumbles when she realizes it's on the other side of the airport and there's a two hour layover. SHe makes her way to a row of seats and sits down, taking out her phone and turning it on. A billion voice mails, a million texts from Lucas, a billion and one calls from her mother. She turns her phone off once more, tired of technology and traveling and everything. She doesn't want to go meet up with her mother and she doesn't want to talk to Lucas.

She looks up and sees an advertisement for Eurostar and suddenly, a whole new idea creeps into her mind.

Two Years Ago

They sit next to one another on his couch, both switching into tank tops and shorts, Brooke of course wearing some of his. Victoria called her a million and one times before Brooke finally through her phone out the window. They ordered Chinese and pigged out and now Weird Science was coming to an end. She gets up and goes over to his open window and sits in front of it, taking a cigarette out of her pack and placing it between her lips. "Why'd you start?"

"I've been seeing my mother everyday for the past year. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic," she says, almost jokingly but he knows it's the truth. She's almost positive he doesn't like it and she tries to keep it down to a minimum when they're together but she can't help it.

He gets up and begins cleaning up the takeout boxes that litter his coffee table when his phone rings. She looks at him quizzically once he picks up, his answers to the person on the other line short and jumbled. He keeps glancing over at her and when he finally turns around, she raises an eyebrow in question, tossing her half smoked cigarette out of the window. He hangs up just as she walks up and she places her hands on her hips. "Who was that?"

He shrugs. "No one important." She doesn't move, just stares him down and he starts fidgeting uncomfortably before sighing. "Fine, it was an old... girl." He searches for the word but realizes there is none and it only confuses Brooke more.

"Old girlfriend?" He shakes his head. " Old friend?" Same response comes from the blonde and that's when it clicks. She starts laughing and turns around, falling back on to the couch. "So what was that a booty call?"

"Shut up," he grumbles, shoving her when he sits down on the couch, grabbing the remote and flipping through channels.

"Well, thank you for spending time with me instead of going and getting laid," she replies, stretching her legs out on to his lap.

"She's to possessive," he replies before adding, "and I'd hope you do the same for me."

She laughs once more. "The world's best birth control is Victoria Davis. If someone calls me while I'm out with you to have sex, I'm ditching your ass in a second." He looks at her, practically pouting and she pats his cheek. "I haven't gotten in over a year. Sorry buddy."

"We could fix that," he says, running his hand up her naked legs teasingly and she smacks his hand away as he laughs.

"That's not funny," she responds before taking a deep breath. That was always the problem when she hung out with Lucas while slightly horny. Thoughts would run rampant in her mind, thought of when they were together in high school and she has to remind herself that they're just friends and she just hasn't gotten any in a while.

There's nothing on TV and she decides to go to sleep. She gets up and the two share a quick peck, like always, before she goes into the spare room she sleeps in whenever Victoria pushes her to her breaking point.

She tosses and turns above the sheets and the god awful heat is sweating her out of the room. She curses Lucas for not investing in a fan at the very least and gets up and walks into the living room, finding that Lucas has gone to bed himself. Without hesitation, Brooke walks into his room and lets out a huge sigh of relief when she notices the air conditioner he propped into the window. "You are so stingy Lucas," she says as she climbs into the bed next to him.

"Excuse me?"

"At least get a fan for your guests. Your apartment is a sweat box." He laughs and scoots over making room for the active brunette. He asks if that's all and she shakes her head. "I can't sleep. You should entertain me."

Present Time

Brooke jerks awake, blinking and rubbing her cheek as she realizes she's on the train. God she hates remembering that night. To this day she doesn't even know how it happened. One minute they were talking the next his hands were on her body and his lips on hers. God she was so stupid. How could she let herself get into that position again. She unbuckles her seat belt angrily and grabs her purse before making her way to the bathroom. She needs to throw up.