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: Okay, this chapter is going to focus on Baley friendship and Julian/Nate. Please review!

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Chapter 11: Always Feel This Way

"So," Haley began softly as she and Brooke were cooking dinner; Jake had left twenty minutes ago to pick up Jenny, and Nathan and Julian were in the living room, leaving the two girls alone, "Seeing Jake was quite the shock…I know he said he came back for business reasons, but I saw the looks you were giving him; why's he really here, Brooke?"

The dimpled brunette sighed, setting the knife with which she'd been cutting vegetables down on the counter, "After Julian asked me to marry him, I called Peyton and asked her if I did the right thing by saying 'no.' She said that I made the right choice because, and I quote, 'you can't rush things like marriage.'" She rolled her eyes, still annoyed by all the hypocrisy, "It bothered me, her talking about rushing life, when she'd doing the exact same thing with Luke," she shrugged, "I told her how I felt and she got angry and hung up on me. Then Luke stopped by…"

Haley's eyes grew angry, "Because of the fight?"

"Yeah, apparently when he got home from his meeting with Reese, Peyt was being all standoffish and kept muttering something about me minding my own business," Brooke's eyes drooped a little, remembering her talk with the blue-eyed man she'd once loved with her whole heart, "Luke said something about how I could count on him or talk to him or something equally pathetic, and I told him that we're not friends…" Tears entered her eyes, and Haley put her knife down too, looking at the girl sympathetically. "I just, I can't be the girl who needs Lucas Scott; he can't save me from life anymore, not if he and Peyton and Julian and I are going to survive."

Haley nodded, "Did you tell him about the almost engagement?"

Brooke laughed, her eyes darkening in anger, "Oh yeah. He said 'good,' then proceeded to repeat his fiancé's words that I shouldn't rush things…" The picked up the knife and began cutting the carrots for the roast again, her mind filled with a million thoughts at once, "The other night it all just sort of hit me, and I realized that I need my best friend…" she smiled softly at Haley and reached over to squeeze her hand, "My other best friend, so I called Chris. Apparently he called Jake, and here we are."

Haley smiled, "I'm really glad that you and Chris are as close as you are…I mean, sure, it's strange to hear you talk about him the way you do, but even though he and I couldn't stay friends, it's good that he has someone in which to confide and love – he deserves that."

"He really does."

Both girls went back to chopping vegetables, a comfortable silence falling over them.

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"So, man, this is kinda weird," Nathan said, glancing back at the kitchen where his two favorite girls had disappeared.

Julian laughed, his usual smirk looking less than ideal, an almost nervous glint in his eye, "Yeah…Brooke talks about you guys all the time; she says that you're pretty much her brother…So, I'm not gonna lie, this is a bit intimidating." Nathan laughed aloud and shook his head at the producer, "I'm half expecting you to start asking me about my motives any second…"

Nathan grinned, a devious look in his eyes, "Well, I wasn't planning on it…but since you brought it up," he smirked at the other man, a dangerous look on his face, "if you even think for a second about hurting her in any way…I will destroy you. Remember that."

Julian nodded, his face completely serious, "…I'm glad she has someone like you; she's an amazing woman."

Nathan nodded, surprised that he was actually starting to like this guy. And even though he was secretly rooting for his brother to realize his feelings for the brunette bombshell, he had to admit that this guy may just be exactly what she needs, "Yeah, she is."

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Haley bit her lip, constantly looking back and forth between Brooke and the food she was supposed to be preparing, her curiosity overpowering her. She tapped her fingers on the counter, watching Brooke chops and slice and dice; she groaned loudly and laid her knife back down, a frown on her face.

Brooke raised her eyebrow, her back facing Haley, and she laughed quietly to herself, amused at Haley's seemingly impatient attitude, "What is it, Tutormom?" She turned to face her best friend, rolling her eyes slightly, "Clearly there's something on your mind…"

Haley's eyes swept over toward the living room for a second but, realizing that the guys were still preoccupied, quickly looked back at Brooke, her attention completely focused on the pretty fashion designer, "Okay, I understand why you called Chris, but where does Jake fit in? When you first came home you told me all about the whole Chris thing, but I had no idea that you and Jake were still in touch."

Brooke shook her head and sat down on one of the stools adjacent to her musically inclined friend, "We weren't…it's complicated."

"I have time," Haley frowned slightly, "I didn't think we had secrets."

"We don't…I ran into Jake at a bar a few weeks after the whole fake engagement thing with Lucas…"

"Whoa! What engagement thing?"

Brooke's eyes widened, "Oh, he didn't tell you?" Haley shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "After Peyton turned him down and he got the call that his book was being published, he called me. I came to publishing party and he showed me the ring and told me what had happened with him and the bottle-blonde bitch otherwise known as Peyton Sawyer…Anyway, we were in a bar and I asked to see the ring again; people assumed that he was proposing to me, and, when they offered us free drinks, we sort of went along with the whole charade…It was never supposed to mean anything, but he kissed me that night…"

Haley, who had been nodding quietly through Brooke's whole speech, suddenly looked furious, "And of course, you being you, I'm assuming you turned him down and left; am I correct?"

Brooke nodded, "Yeah, I wasn't going to be his rebound girl anymore…I'd already played that role twice and I don't think that my heart could have handled it again…"

Haley's eyes were soft, "In all fairness to Luke…the second time you two got together, you weren't a rebound." Brooke opened her mouth to protest, but before any words could escape, Haley was already speaking again, "He was so sure about you; he knew you were the one for him. He loved you. I know it."

Both girls stared at each other mutely, tears clouding Brooke's vision as she tried to push the other girl's words from her head.

Haley sighed quietly, "…Sorry, you ran into Jake in a bar…"

She nodded, "It wasn't a big deal really. We exchanged emails and phone numbers, and for weeks we just talked. About anything and everything." Her voice lowered as her eyes shifted toward the room where two of the most important men in her life were currently sitting, "He asked me to come visit him in Savannah one weekend, so I did…We kissed that weekend, and things changed between us. Suddenly it didn't seem so important to me that he was Peyton's ex, or that he lived states away; none of it mattered because I thought I was falling in love."

"And did you? Fall in love?"

Brooke laughed quietly and shook her head, "No, I didn't, and neither did he. I sort of ran away the night we kissed; I was terrified of what might happen if I allowed him to get too close. Well, he emailed me a lot after that night, and eventually I emailed him back; well, we ended up hanging out at one of Chris's shows, and the three of us became pretty much inseparable…" She glanced over at Haley, a smile on both their faces, but Brooke's smile faded with her next words, "After the attack I called Jake…he came home for me and offered to stay for as long as I needed him, but I made him go home to his daughter and his life in Savannah."

Haley shook her head, her eyes questioning, "Why'd you make him leave?"

"Peyton. She and Lucas were finally back together, and I didn't want to confuse her heart when she had finally gotten what she wanted…I love my P. Sawyer, even when she's being completely unreasonable..."

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The two men looked away from each other; the tension in the air had lessoned slightly since their first conversation but was now beginning to grow again because of the silence.

"So, uh, you play basketball right?"

Nathan rolled his eyes and looked at the other man, amused, "That's the best you can come up with?"

Julian sighed and he sat back further on the couch, waiting for his girlfriend to save him from this uncomfortable conversation. "I liked you better when you were threatening me…" he muttered softly as he gazed anxiously toward the room Brooke was currently in.

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The two girls laughed as the entered the living room a few minutes later, both gazing amusingly at their respective partners, who had somehow managed to sit as far away from each other as possible in the large room. Brooke raised her eyebrow at Julian who merely grinned sheepishly in return. Haley rolled her eyes and started walking toward the door, having heard someone knock.

"Jake, welcome back," she said with a small smile, respecting and liking him more in this moment than in any other; she knew that she owed a lot of the change she'd seen in Brooke to him.

The other three people in the room grinned and waved. Brooke stood up her arms wide open, "Jenny!"

The little brunette grinned and immediately threw herself into the older woman's arms, "Aunt Brooke!"

Everyone turned, hearing the small steps on the staircase; Jamie smiled as the Jagielskis entered the room, "Hi, I'm Jamie and I'm five," he said excitedly to the little girl, "And that," he pointed to Brooke, "is my Aunt Brooke."

Jenny smiled back at him, "I'm Jenny and I'm seven." She smiled and pointed to Brooke as well, "And she's my Aunt Brooke too."

The older brunette grinned, dipping down to hug both of the children, and the other four adults in the room couldn't help but notice how perfect she looked with children in her arms, and Julian couldn't help but wonder what their children would look like; he hoped that when they had children, they would look exactly like her, dimples and all.

TBC…