Disclaimer: I do not, as much as I wish I did, own OTH or any of the songs in this story. All I own is the plot of the story, and I barely own that.

AN: I could not, for the life of me, remember Chase's last name, so I guessed – let me know if it's right.

Again, I have not checked over this yet, so let me know if you notice any mistakes. Thanks guys for all the reviews!

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Chapter 7: I Heart ?

Sam raised her eyebrow and tossed her bag onto Brooke's bed, "Why'd you say no?"

Brooke frowned, having expected to have more time to prepare a proper defense against Sam's quick wit, "Do we really have to do this now? I'm sort of…" She glanced around, hoping for a distraction but coming up short, "busy."

Sam raised her eyebrow, both amused and annoyed at Brooke's fruitless attempts to postpone this long overdue talk. "Yeah, you seem real busy;" she said sarcastically, "Lying around like a bum must be really tiring."

Brooke nodded unhappily, knowing there was no escape, "You're right, Sam. You deserve to know the truth; it's just…" she sighed, running her fingers through her unkempt hair, "I'm not even sure what the truth is anymore." She glanced up to see Sam looking at her sadly, confusion in her eyes, "I didn't want to say no; everything within me was screaming 'yes,' but my head just doesn't quite agree with my heart."

Sam scoffed, "Your head and heart don't agree? Welcome to the club." Brooke looked up, shock in her hazel eyes. "Life is messy and it's hard, and sometimes we find ourselves being pulled in hundreds of directions, but he loves you!" Tears sprang to Brooke's eyes and her foster-daughter lowered her voice slightly, "Julian loves you, Brooke…Shouldn't that be enough for you?"

Brooke reached out for Sam's hand, pulling her onto the bed. She stared into the young girl's eyes, wishing that her words were lies, and that she could just tell Sam that everything would be okay, "I wish it was enough, Sammy, but this world we live in is harsh and sometimes love isn't all that's needed." She frowned at the sad look the teenager was giving her, "I know this probably sounds foolish and selfish, but I've had my heart broken before, and I've even broken a few along the way, Sam, and let me tell you, it's never easy to come back from that." She exhaled sharply, "The first two times I gave my heart away were to the same boy…and he shattered everything that I was; he destroyed the very thing he had helped to create within me…"

"What's that?" Sam asked softly, having never heard much about Brooke's past.

"Love." She answered simply, "True and powerful and seemingly unbreakable love. He gave it to me and then stole it all away, and my heart never fully recovered."

"Who was it? Your first love?"

Brooke smiled fondly, "My first and second love was Lucas Scott."

Sam's eyes widened and her jaw went slack, "Lucas?! Peyton's fiancé?"

"Yup."

"What happened? What ended things?"

Brooke frowned, her memories burning on her tongue, "Lots of things happened." She hesitated, "The first time we got together was the first time I ever showed someone my heart, but he and Peyton…" She frowned, not realizing that her sad face had turned to one of anger, "Let's just say, they needed each other more than they needed me."

Sam was seething inside, suddenly feeling as if she understood the friends' dynamic a bit more with this bit of information, "And the second time?"

"The second time, life got in the way. Lucas's and Nathan's father Dan – I'm sure you've heard of him – killed their Uncle Keith, and there was a shooting at the school, and, to make matters worse, Peyton realized that she was in love with Lucas…" Brooke's eyes were downcast and she found her mind wandering to Keith's death. "Then, at Haley and Nathan's second wedding, there was an accident featuring Nathan's Uncle Cooper…After all that it seemed kind of pointless to stay in a relationship where the person I loved was unable to love me completely, so I ended it."

"And somehow he ended up right back in her arms…Am I right?"

Brooke laughed, her eyes both sad and happy, "People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end. Trust me, honey, I never stood a chance."

Sam leaned back against the headboard, trying to piece together all the information she'd been given. Brooke slid up next to her, their arms barely grazing each other. She glanced over at her foster-mother, suddenly more curious about her past loves than her current one, "You said he was your first and second…were there more?"

Brooke nodded, excited to finally be able to share these things with the girl she loved most, "Chase Adams, you know, Mia's boyfriend."

Sam's eyes lit up and a laugh escaped her lips, "But he's so…nerdy!"

Brooke giggled, "Yeah, he is, but he's a great guy. The truth is I never really loved him the way I should; we never shared anything beyond a high school relationship, so, when my line picked up, our relationship just sort of fell apart…Hmm, then there was Chris Keller."

Sam's eyes widened comically, "The singer?!" Brooke nodded and grinned, "He's so hot!"

Brooke fell into a fit of giggles, "Chris is a pretty great guy. I told you how I used to be kind of…"

"Slutty?"

Brooke glared at the teenager, "A little less than chaste," she finished loudly, "Well, he and I…we…well, you get it!"

Sam grimaced, "Yeah, I wish I didn't, but I do."

"He and I ran into each other one night in New York, and I hated him; he was cocky and rude and kinda sexy…and for whatever reason, when he asked me to go on a date with him, I said yes. We only went on five dates, and though we had a lot of fun, we realized that there was no chemistry and we were better off as friends…" Sam noticed the way Brooke's smile broadened at the mention of the rock star, and she couldn't help but feel jealous of her pseudo mother. "We haven't talked much lately, but we still send emails back and forth, and, if I asked him to, I know he would fly back to see me at a moment's notice, just as I would do the same for him."

Sam frowned, realization in her eyes, "Are you saying that Lucas is the only guy you've ever loved?"

Brooke shook her head, her eyes serious, "Of course not. I love Julian, and before Julian came, there was someone else, but…" she hesitated, "I don't know if he and I were in love. We never really got the chance to explore things."

"Why didn't you?"

Brooke's eyes narrowed, not in anger but in sadness, "Peyton. Her heart has always been bigger than mine, allowing her to love far more easily than I ever could…I could never have taken her past from her."

"What does that mean – to take her past from her?"

The older woman shook her head, "There was a man, Jake Jagielski, that was everything I've ever wanted in a man, but he was Peyton's first love, or at least I had always viewed him as such. It didn't feel right to be with someone whose heart had once belonged to Peyton…"

Sam raised her eyebrow, turning her body more towards Brooke, "Is that why you said no to Julian? Because he used to be Peyton's?"

Brooke opened her mouth to say no, but no words came. Silence took over the room, and Brooke tried desperately to find the words to explain.

"I love Julian; I truly do. But our lives are in different places, and I can't let him throw away everything he has ever built just so he can live in this mediocre town with someone who isn't worth it…I can't do that to him."

"You don't think you're good enough?"

Tears fell down her cheeks as she glanced away from the smaller brunette, "Sometimes I wonder if that's why Victoria left? Or Lucas? Or if that's why Peyton chose Lucas over me time and time again?" Her eyes grew darker, anger and sadness overpowering her, "I'm not ready for another broken heart, Sam."

Sam's arms immediately wrapped themselves around Brooke, and Sam could feel the tears spark in her eyes, shocked to see the walls the older woman had placed around herself finally breaking. They sat there, arms wrapped tight around each other for over an hour, both feeling closer to the other than they had ever felt with anyone else.

Brooke wiped at her eyes, pulling away from Sam slightly, "Oh, I completely forgot one of my guys."

Sam smiled, "Who?"

Brooke looked at her, the sadness replaced with a mischievous glint, "Nathan's hot Uncle Cooper."

Sam broke into a fit of giggles at the same moment that Brooke did, "are you serious?!"

Brooke grinned, "No, not really. But he is by far the sexiest man alive!" She giggled, "He's always been my hot uncle fantasy."

Sam frowned, "'Hot uncle fantasy?' You know that's kind of creepy right?"

Laughter erupted from Brooke's lips again, "Yeah, I suppose…but you'd understand if you saw him; trust me, Hot Uncle Cooper is pure love."

Sam rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around her foster mom again. "I love you, Brooke."

"I love you too, Brat."

TBC…