AN: Sorry for how long I've been taking in updating. If you follow my fics, you know my muse has been a little scatterbrained lately... It's still going to be a little while before my Brucas gets together. Despite the fact they are both quite captivated, they still barely know each other. One little issue – Brooke definitely didn't pay the twins for their "attentions". I really like how this fic is coming along. My idea is to imagine how Lucas and Brooke from the canon would develop if they hadn't met each other in high school. So, I see Brooke learning by herself to deal with her self-destructive tendencies and letting her heart show, so she becomes a caring, beloved girl with a deep, unfulfilled need to be seen and appreciated. And Lucas becomes this focused, hardworking, serious, ultimately lonely individual who yearns for a true connection and only learned to be himself and let go in a very odd way, which hasn't really been explored in the fic yet. They see on the other something each one desperately needs. Add to that the natural Brucas mutual physical attraction, and the serious complication that their difference in age and maturity represents, and you have the story. I thank the reviewers for their comments and all readers for their patience and appreciation. As usual, I don't own anything related to OTH, Gray's or House.

Chapter 8

Lucas

The latest surgery on Mr. Contrera's pelvis reconstruction is a fourteen hour tour-de-force. Callie and I manage to get the whole mesh in place, and turn his scrambled middle into something solid, which eventually will be able to support motion and hold up his upper body.

I can barely see through the haze of fatigue. Even Callie, with her seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy seems a bit drained. "That was one hell of a job, Boss. One for the books."

She looks at me and smiles. "A good job it was. We make one hell of a team, Lucas."

This is one accolade that really makes my day. Over the past month, my respect for this woman has only grown. "Thanks."

We walk out of the surgical center together, and we are both surprised to find Penny and Allie in their civvies, waiting for us. Allie just gives me her bright-eyed subtle smile, and Penny explains. "We thought you guys might need a drink and a little help getting to bed after this."

Callie and I exchange a glance, and Callie replies. "Sure thing, love. Let's go."

I stay back a second, to give the third-year resident instructions about post-op care. Callie was the surgeon in charge, but post-op will be my responsibility, and I'm the one on-call in case something unexpected happens.

I join them, and give Penny a kiss in the cheek. "You're looking ravishing tonight, Dr. Blake." I do it because I love seeing her blush.

Allie giggles, and Callie gives me a mock glare. "You're trying to seduce my girl, Dr. Scott?"

"I know I'm not her type, but a fellow can always dream..."

She slaps me in the chest. "Oh, stop it, Lucas!"

I grab Allie by the waist and plant a quick kiss in her lips. "All right. At least one of the girls in my life is not a dyke."

Callie gives me an amused look. "Talk about not a dyke, I hear your teenagers are coming back tomorrow."

I can't repress my smile. "That's right."

Penny looks at Allie and frowns at me. "Down, boy!"

Allie adds. "He's actually toning it down a bit. He's been like a little boy going to a toy store."

Callie looks a me. "You're that far gone?" I nod. "A bit of unsolicited advice. You might want to end this." She waves at Allie and me. "Even if you're not going to start something with your teenager right now. You would probably do better without the noise."

I exchange a glance with Allie. "Noted. Thanks."

"And I want to meet this girl as soon as possible. There's a vetting process among friends, you know?"

Allie gives Callie an evil smile. "Oh, you're gonna like her just fine."

"That hot?"

"You have no idea."

We head to Allie's apartment, basically because I'm not really up to facing the stairs. Once we get there, we take a long hot soak. A fairly platonic one, since I'm a little too tired and wired to do her justice. Afterwards, I just want to curl up in bed with her warm body for company, but she has other plans.

"I have a new toy I want to try. You don't have to lift a finger. I promise."

"Sounds good. What is it?"

She fishes a brown paper bag from her backpack and opens it. It's a fairly large anal plug, made of slick white plastic. I raise an eyebrow. Not exactly new territory.

"It's got a powerful vibrator, big boy. And it's remote controlled."

"Ah. Do you want help placing it?"

"Sure."

I half-sit on her bed as she kneels on top of me, bending over and taking me in her mouth. "Hey, it's hard to concentrate with you doing that."

"Focus. You're a surgeon, after all."

"I doubt I could be very effective while being blown like this."

"They should include this in the practical boards." We both laugh.

I use plenty of lubricant and begin with a single finger, doing a massage on the appropriate nerve bundle. Then I do it with two fingers, which begin to get a reaction from her. I apply more lubrication and start a slow insertion of the plug. "Relax the sphincter now." It slide it in easily.

"Hm." She wiggles her shapely behind in my face. "Feels full."

"Looks damn good on you. Wish I could take you for a walk wearing that."

"That's certainly one of the possibilities."

"You're pretty sensitive in the pudendum nerve bundle. This thing is going to drive you crazy."

"That's the idea." She gives me the remote. I turn the plug on, in its lowest setting. A distant muffled buzz shows that the thing is actually working.

"Good... all right. Sit back and relax." She turns around and impales herself on me. I can feel the faint vibration.

"So?"

"Tight. And the shape is a little different. Still your lovely pussy, though." She moves up and down a bit and stops.

"All right. Crank it up."

I take it up to seven out of ten. She screams. "Holy cow! This is so good!" For me, she turns into a moist, tight, intensely vibrating chamber. It feels crazy good, not as intense as it does to her.

"Can you get off with me just sitting here?"

"Oh, yes. It will take a while, though."

She stays there, moaning to herself, coming once, and then again. I'm nearly there myself when she asks. "Now. Crank it to the max."

She screams, coming for a third time, just as I do it. After that I turn off the vibrator. She slumps next to me and takes the plug off. "Wow. That was intense. You should try it sometime."

I smile. "Yeah. I guess I will."

A little later I pick up the plug and take it to the bathroom to wash. I come back holding it cleaned and disinfected.

She notes I'm interested in the thing. "Wanna try it?"

"Not tonight. I was just thinking that this is not exactly the right shape. I would make it with an anatomic curve, following the shape of the rectum, and make it deliver simultaneous short pulsation and vibration at the nerve bundle. It would make it slower and more intense for you, and more intense for me as well."

She laughs. "You want to design and built a prototype? Apply for a patent?"

I shrug. "Why not?" It's a sort of borderline medical device, isn't it? The orthopedics lab has a 3D printer that I could use to make the plastic body and plenty of small electric motors."

"Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"I want to be present when you present the proposal to the research and innovation committee."

"I'd put your name in the patent application. Maybe you could help me with testing the prototype."

"Your idea, your patent. and, from the way you described it, I would gladly pay to help test it."

"So much for the Cameron-Scott plug."

Her eyes flash in amusement. "All right. I'll help you develop it. But we do it outside the hospital."

"Why?"

"They would never go for it. Alienating the donors..."

We lay there in each other's arms, staring at the ceiling. I break the silence. "So."

"The elephant in the room."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We both know Callie is right. You'll do better without the noise."

"It's been fun."

She gets on top and kisses me. "It's been better than fun. And I'm going to miss it."

"So am I. Friends?"

"Of course. I'm here for you, big boy. Anything."

"Same."

Brooke

Lucas kisses my breasts and I feel his fingers playing with me as I open my legs wide and he finds his position, his strong body heavy and slick against mine. I feel my hips reach out to him as he slowly enters me and the alarm...

"Damn!". I sit in the bed, fully awake and I look at Rachel. She's rolled up in the bedcovers, looking glum.

"I hate waking up early too."

"It's not that. I was enjoying my dream."

She smiles sleepily. "Let's get going then, whore. You'll be able to get your hands on the real thing soon enough."

We spent the night at a Holiday Inn in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and we still have a three-hour drive ahead. We shower, pack our stuff and head to the breakfast area. There's a couple of families with small children, some business travelers and a bunch of college kids around.

As usual, Rachel and I attract our share of male attention. I let it slide around me, distant and polite. Rachel, on the other hand, is not her usual flirty self. I serve myself of a small orange juice, a large coffee and a toasted bagel with cream cheese. I notice Rachel is turning down a cute brunette boy with a letter jacket. She is pretty rough.

"Hey, slut. Did something crawl up your ass and died? What's up?"

She scowls at me. Not a first, but pretty unusual too. "Mind your own business, whore. I'm not in the mood."

I frown at her, while she looks firmly down, glaring at her bowl of granola. She's been acting this way the whole trip, and I'm getting a little tired of it. It's getting worse, and I want my lighthearted friend back. Suddenly a switch flips in my head, and I realize what's going on. "It's Mountain, isn't it? You actually fell for him."

She tightens even further around herself. "Go fuck yourself, Brooke."

I start laughing. "The cast iron bitch is moping over a boy! That's a first."

She looks at me, and there's real pain in her eyes. The laughter dies in my lips. "Yes, I really miss him."

"Did you talk to him? Told him how you felt?"

"Of course not! What would be the point? So that he would drop his scholarship and follow me to New York? Or better yet, I drop my modeling contract and follow him to South Dakota? He came to me to say goodbye. We cried. We fucked. He said he loved me. I told him I didn't love him, but that I liked him a lot and I wished him to be happy. I let him down easy, Brooke. I swear. But that's not all."

"What is it, then?"

"I'm a week late, Brooke." She breaks down in tears, with the whole room watching. I go around the table and wrap my arms around her thin frame.

"Shh, sweetie. It will be all right." She sobs for a bit and then gathers herself back. She may be hurting, but she is still pretty tough. She looks at me, her eyebrows raised.

"Sweetie?"

I shrug and give her a small smile. "Sorry?"

We decide to get home first before dealing with this. Home is Lucas, and he can help. I drive the last leg, and when we stop at the toll line I drop him a text.

"At Lincoln Tunnel. xx"

His reply is immediate.

"Can't wait. xx"

Traffic into the city is not bad, and it takes us another twenty minutes to cross the tunnel and get home. I spot him standing and smiling from half a block away. He used cones to reserve a double spot in front of the building for the truck, which he removes as we approach. I back the truck into the spot, with him helping guide me.

The moment I push the parking break, I jump off the truck, and straight into his arms. In two seconds I find his lips with mine and the whole world disappears. It's just him, strong arms around me, his flat chest crushing my breasts, my arms around him, him smelling of sweat and aftershave, his lips tasting of coffee, soft and demanding. His tongue in my mouth, caressing mine as we deepen the kiss. My whole body in on fire against his. We separate, looking at each other with naked hunger.

I whisper in his ear. "So, this is how a kiss is supposed to feel like."

He laughs and shrugs. "If you set the bar sky high." He turns to Rachel, which is standing on the sidewalk. "Hey, Red. What's with the face?" He engulfs her in a tight hug, and I see her relax a bit.

He stands a little back, and he sees that her eyes are moist. "What's wrong?" He turns to me. "What's wrong, pretty girl?"

"We need to talk."

"All right, just a second." He introduces us to a short, strong looking middle-aged man. "This is Frank Stiglitz. He runs one of the maintenance crews at the hospital. Frank, these are my friends, Brooke Davis and Rachel Gattina."

He shakes our hands, while laughing. His voice is gruff and warm. "Friends, hm? Do you kiss all your friends like that?"

Lucas smiles, grabbing me by the waist. "Only the special ones."

I look at him and pout. "So, I'm a special friend now."

He smiles. "Look, I offered Frank and his crew five hundred, plus six tickets to the Knicks first home game to help with your stuff. They borrowed a portable crane from the hospital and installed it on the roof, so they can just lift things up, straight into your window. Just give him your key, and let's take care of whatever is bothering Rachel."

"All right." I open my wallet and count five hundreds. I hand him the money, and the keys to the apartment and the truck. "Can you also return the truck when you're done? . The contract is in the glove compartment, and the address is written there." He nods. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. And welcome to New York."

"Thanks, again."

Lucas turns to me. "So, should we go up and talk?

"I need to stop at a drugstore first."

Instantly, Lucas relaxed demeanor disappears, and the laser-sharp doctor comes forward. "Why?"

"We need a pregnancy test."

He looks carefully at Rachel. "Ah." He looks thoughtful. "We do this right." He turns to Rachel. "A quick trip to the hospital."

We get into his car and he drives us the ten blocks to the hospital. He gets us visitor badges at the reception and we walk to the ER. It's pretty quiet there, and I keep searching for Allie. "She's not around. She's off duty right now, probably asleep."

He sits us in a procedure bay and closes the curtain. He draws blood and calls some assistant. "Pregnancy and basic blood. Stat."

"Yes, doctor Scott."

He gives Rachel a thorough physical, and asks questions. Medical history, previous pregnancies, medications, alcohol and drug use, sexual history. He's very gentle, both with his hands and his voice.

One answer surprises the hell out of me. Aside from the airplane quickie and the basketball player, Mountain has been her only partner for over three months. When asked if she takes the pill everyday at the same time, she says she got confused with the time change going back and forth from New York. She also adds that she and Mountain neglected to use condoms a couple of times.

The results from the blood test come to his phone. He stares at the little screen and looks at Rachel. "You're definitely pregnant. Otherwise your blood work is fine."

Rachel starts crying. "Oh, no... this can't be happening." I embrace her.

"It's going to be fine... you'll see. We're here for you."

Lucas helps her stand and hands her a hospital gown. "Please put this on. We're going to take a quick look." He leaves the bay and closes the curtain behind him. He comes back a few minutes later with an efficient-looking redhead in tow. "This is Dr. Ash, Ob-Gyn. She's going to do an intravaginal sonogram, so we can check how far along you are, and if everything is ok."

They walk us to an exam room, with a gynecological exam chair. Lucas stands next to Rachel, holding her hand, while Dr. Ash does a pelvical exam and brings in the machine. She does her thing, producing a bunch of fuzzy images that Lucas looks at, nodding sagely. Afterwards, Dr. Ash hands Rachel a picture, with a little blob marked, and talks to her.

"You are eight to ten weeks along, and everything seems to be fine. I'll prescribe some prenatal vitamins and go over your options. Is the father in the picture?"

"No. And there's no need for further conversation. I'm terminating."

Lucas and Dr. Ash exchange a glance. "Very well. Dr. Scott is your primary and he will handle details with you. Good luck." She walks out, closing the door behind her. I totally get why she is terminating. Her contract with the modeling agency is a dream come true for her. And, if she carries the baby, they will certainly rescind it. But, it's Rachel and Mountain's baby... I would give anything to hold it, to play with it, to see it grow up. I cry, and it is a huge surprise when I look up and see tears in Lucas eyes too. We stand around for a few minutes in a three-way hug, until Lucas breaks it.

"Let's go home. You should get dressed, while I go take care of a little paperwork."

We drive back in silence, and when we get there, Frank and his crew are getting out of the building with the crane.

"Hey guys, that was fast! Thank you."

"The crane made it easy. We assembled your beds, and more-or-less arranged the furniture, but the boxes are just piled in the living room. Goodbye, and good luck."

"You too. Bye."

We look around our apartment, with the boxes and the furniture. There's a lot of work ahead. I'm pretty sure I'm going to love living here, working and studying in this crazy city, and taking this thing with Lucas wherever it's supposed to go. Lucas sits in my bed and taps a spot next to him, for Rachel to sit besides him.

"Rachel, look. I'll arrange a good person to do the termination at the hospital, all right? It's safe and painless. Brooke and I will be there to hold your hand, if you want. But I think you need at least a week to let this settle. Is that ok?" She nods. "And if you want to talk, or maybe just a hug, I'm here."

She turns to him. "Would you do it? Please?"

He looks at her for a second. "I don't think so, sweetie. I'll arrange it, I'll hold your hand while it's happening, and I'll lend you my shoulder, before and after. But I won't do it. I'm sorry."

She looks at the floor and speaks in a small voice. "All right."

"Let's go upstairs. You can see what my place looks like, and I'll fix you lunch."

There's already a lot of furniture at his place. A couple of leather couch sets, some bookcases, a pool table with red felt at one end of the living room, a large dining table for eight. For all that, it's clearly a work in progress, and something some decorator is working with him. I like it, but it's getting a little too stark.

"Lucas, would you give me a little free hand with your decorator? Some small adjustments. Promise you'll like it."

"You mean to enliven the place a bit?"

"Yes, exactly."

"I'd be forever thankful."

He heats up some meat lasagna, which we eat with a salad, sparkling water and ice cream for dessert. After lunch Rachel gets really sleepy, so Lucas lets her nap in one of the guest bedrooms, while we go upstairs to the roof, enjoy the view, the sun, and talk.

"Let me ask you one thing. Why did you refuse to perform Rachel's termination? Are you qualified?"

"Yes I am. It's a general surgery procedure. I trained in it, and I am qualified to do it."

"Are you against abortions as a general principle?"

"I don't like them, but I do support the right to choose. I've done terminations, and I'll probably do them again."

"Then why?"

He passes his hand on his head and looks sad. "It's Rachel's baby, Brooke. It's someone I'd love to meet, play with, watch grow. I wouldn't do it because it would break my heart, that's all."

This is when I know. It's not just that amazing kiss. It's not just that I'm dying to have him inside me. It's not the easy friendship, or the amazing support, how safe I feel around him or how much I've missed him. It's not how much fun we have together. Sure, it's all that too. But it's more. I'm in love with this guy. Head over heels, batshit crazy, howl to the moon in love, for the first time in my life. God, I just hope he feels the same way about me.