I want to say thank you to Leonie1988 and dianehermans for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of One Tree Hill's characters, but I do own the story plot.

FYI: The time line changed; instead of proposing at 18, Lucas did it at 20. Peyton still said no. Victoria isn't trying to take the line from Brooke. Their relationship is very weird; they got closer when Brooke asked Victoria to help her with the line. Victoria is still a bitch, but not so much to Brooke. She is just hard on her. Brooke doesn't want to adopt. So, there is no Angie. There was Nanny Carrie but she didn't hold Dan captive. Dan never had any visits at the jail but he did have mysterious calls from someone(s). Lucas and Nathan wonders who they are from. The Comet will be Lucas's third book.

What has happened recently: Lindsey left Lucas at the alter. He got depress and started drinking; told Peyton, he hated her. Peyton started Red Bedroom Records. Mia is her first artist. Jamie's birthday just passed; he turned eight.

He sat there Indian style on the ground, doing what many said he does best, brooding the events the has happened over these few months. Thinking about event to events, how it brought his life to where it is now.

"Wow," Haley said as she made her way to him "very Peyton."

"Lindsey stopped by today" Lucas replied to her comment.

"She's here," Haley asked surprised by his reply.

"No not any more," he told her, "I had to go see Brooke," revealing to Haley.

"The trifecta," Haley said while removing her bag off her shoulder and placing it on the ground, "how nice. What did Lindsey want?" She asked curiously.

"She wanted to tell me my books done," Lucas explained, while Haley came down to sit near him. "well everything except the dedication. She said 'I could email that to her.'" Haley to her hand on Lucas's back, slowly rubbing it to soothe him a bit. "I'm thinking about taking off for a little while."

"Lucas, please stop running, come on" she asked him. "you have to let go of this dark weight you're carrying around," Haley told him as her hand moved around emphasizing her point.

"This morning, Nathan told me 'the darkness doesn't have any answers'" Lucas told her Nathan's words to him.

"He's right; you saw him after his accident," Haley said to him, thinking back to that dark time. "Look at him now." She finished with the smile of happiness of what Nathan has overcame. "You know that romantic notion that all the garbage and the pain is really healing and beautiful and sort of poetic?" Haley rhetorically asked him. "It's not. It's just garbage and it's pain." She told him. "You know what's better? Love. The day that you start thinking that love is overrated is the day that you're wrong." Haley confessed to Lucas, then she put her arm on his shoulder, as she told the rest of her notion. "The only thing wrong with love, and faith, and belief is not having it." They sat there just thinking on what she just confessed.

*00*00*

She ended the call, once, she saw him coming closer. They stood there in each other's presence. They were both quiet.

"I don't hate you." Lucas told Peyton. "I remember the first time I ever saw you, all skinny arms and tangled mess of hair," he confessed lightly, as he slowly made the distance between them less. Lucas sat on the edge of the pool table. "It was hard letting you go Peyton. You know?" Peyton nodded her head at what he had said. "It was hard losing you and it was hard seeing you again and it's still really hard."

"I know. While I'm asleep, I have this dream where we're back in that hotel room in LA and you proposed to me and," Peyton talked dreamily as she told him her fantasy, "every single time I say 'yes'."

"It's just a dream, right?"

"It's my dream." She told him sadly.

*0*

"Three simple cards, three beautiful ladies," said the old man as he flip, the cards face up, breaking Lucas take in of scenery of that particular New York City street, "real simple, son, all you gotta do is pick one."

"All right," Lucas replied as he turned so he could be looking directly at him.

"Just follow the heart," the old man told Lucas as he picked up the Queen of Hearts. Then began shuffling it with the two other cards face down on the table.

"Hey, handsome. These are for you, for our one year anniversary," Brooke told as she presented the bouquets roses to Lucas.

"Um…Brooke, I'm your husband. I'm supposed to give you flowers," he explained to her.

"I know. But I wanted to make sure I'd like them," she answered. Lucas gave a small chuckle to her response. "Well?"

"Happy anniversary, wife," Lucas gave her the roses as the made the way down the street. Slipping his arm around hers.

"Thank you husband, I love them," Brooke told him, with a grin on her face.

"You ever miss Tree Hill?"

"Of course. I miss our friends," she'd answered.

"Yeah, Jamie's getting big. We never see him."

"I know. But you have the book tour and I have the company and I think he understands," Brooke said slowly and sadly.

"What about all that travel? I mean, I am proud of you and all, but it just sucks that we're apart so much," he complained as they crossed the trafficked road.

"I know. Makes coming home kind sexy though," she pointed out.

"Very true," completely agreeing with her. " Hey, I do love you, Brooke Davis"

"And I love you, Lucas Davis ... Scott," Brooke declared to him with a proud, bright smile.

"And I'm gonna love you more when I see exactly what it is you got me for our anniversary."

"You're gonna love that... whatever it is. Happy anniversary!"

"Thank you," Brooke said after they had kissed.

*0*

"Happy Anniversary," Lucas announced as he opened to door.

"Go back out," Peyton yelled from the room.

"Why? Is the mail man here again?," he asked teasingly.

"No. He just put on his pants and jumped out the window, " she answered to him in that same teasing tone, "but he did leave you an anniversary gift and I haven't wrapped it yet. Hi babe."

"Hey wifey! These are for you," Lucas commented before he kissed her.

"Oh! They're beautiful! Thank you! How was your day?," before they went into the kitchen.

"It was good. It is good. You know can't believe it's been a year."

"Is it? Is it what you wished for, Peyton?," he asked curiously.

"If I say 'it's more than that', are you going to tease me for being a dork?" Lucas mmhed to what she had said. "Cause it is."

"So, I made dinner reservations for tonight, if you want?"

"Actually, I was thinking maybe we could just stay in, have a quiet dinner, kiss a while," Peyton suggested while she arched her eyebrows.

"And there is a chance that I could be rocking some slightly dirty girl lingerie underneath these jeans." Lucas eyed her up and down once she announced that.

"I think I need to sit down."

*0*

"I think I need to sit down.," Lucas said as he placed himself on a chair on the deck.

"Why, you ok," Lindsey asked concerned as she place a bouquet of flowers on the table.

"Ya. You look nice," he stated.

"Thanks but I still haven't gotten ready yet," she told him.

"Doesn't matter."

"How come after a year of marriage you are still sweet to me," Lindsey asked jokingly.

"Because you're you," he told, "and because you deserve it."

"You make it all to easy," Lindsey told him, before she gave a kiss. "I better get ready."

"Hey Linds, its easy with us isn't it."

"Ya," nodding to what he mentioned, "it's easiest."

"There he is," the old shuffler said. "C'mon now son. Three queens, three choices; just follow the heart," he advised Lucas. Then shuffled then on the table.

"C'mon, Luke, just pick one," Haley said as she appeared where the old man once was.

"You gotta pick one, Luke," Nathan told, replacing Haley.

"You can do it Uncle Lucas," Jamie encouraged as he toke over Nathan's spot.

"Pick one," Lindsey said.

"Pick one," Peyton said also.

"Just pick one," Brooke advised.

"That's the one," Lucas declared as he pointed to the card.

"Are you sure," the old shuffler asked. Lucas nodded his head and then flipped the card. "Well, well, looks like you found your queen. Not many do. How did you know which one to pick," he asked.

"I guess I always knew."

*0*

A life lived in love will never be dull

-Leo Buscoglia

After waking up from his daydream, Lucas sit there in the seat as he contemplates what to do. He knows he has been there for a good 20 minutes. Rolling his phone in hand as he thinks. 'I always knew,' Lucas says to himself. Open up his cell and calls her.

"Hello," she answered.

"Hey its me. Look I'm at the airport and I've got two tickets to Las Vegas. Do you want to get married tonight?" Before she can say anything, Lucas says goodbye and hangs up.

An old man sits across from Lucas looking exactly like that man in his some what dream.

"Are waiting for anyone special," he asked.

"I hope so, I don't know. We'll see if she shows up. "

"She'll show. I want to tell you something, son," the old man tell Lucas. "It's the most important thing there is. Love. Finding the right person to spend your life with."

"I know I made the right choice." The man laughs at what Lucas's reply.

"That's where it gets you. Thinking you had a choice," he stated. "Love finds you, Son, you don't find love. It's got a little bit to do with destiny, fate, what's written in the stars. A lot to do with the simple fact most women are smarter than we are." Lucas breaks out into a grin to what the old man just said. "And wily. Your sorry butt never had a chance." Both their grins widened. "But if you want to believe you had a choice in the matter, I'd say you made a good one."

"Why is that," Lucas wondered how he knew.

"Because she showed up and she sure is pretty." Lucas turned behind him to see who the old man was looking at. Rushes to where she is.

"You're such a mess. You can't just call a girl from the airport," Peyton commented before she kissed him.

"Peyton, I know this sounds crazy, but…"

"You're a mess, Lucas Scott, but you're my mess and I love you."

*00*00*

I'm gonna base this moment on who I am stuck in a room with! That's what life is, it's a series of rooms, and who we get stuck in those rooms with, adds up to what our lives are.

-eve from HOUSE SEASON 3 EPISODE 12 ONE DAY, ONE ROOM

He gave one more punch before he left. Brooke slowly got up; she looked over what he had done to her store. First, Brooke wipes the small amount of blood off the floor and herself. Cleaned and fix everything that was possible, when she was done you could not tell someone ruined the place. It toke Brooke about a couple of hours. After gathering all clothes that happened to be torn, Brooke decided she would to fix them up and give them to charity.

Once, at home she plopped the clothes on a bureau. Brooke then preceded to plug in to her ipod like she did every night. Not wanting to hear silence.

*00*00*

Brooke picked up her phone as soon as she heard it ringing.

"Hey best friend!" Peyton's voice came out her phone.

"Hey, you didn't come home last night?"

"Oh yeah, that's cuz I'm in LA with Lucas," Peyton informed her, "and we want you to be the first to know, we're getting married!" she announced exactly.

"Congratulations!"

"It's kinda sudden, right?"

"Are you kidding? The rest of the world's been waiting on you two idiots since high school." It was true. Everyone was contemplating what Lucas was doing when he was suppose to be marring Lindsey.

After ending the call with Peyton, Brooke went to the stereo and played music so the house wouldn't be so quiet. Then went back to wrapping & icing her wounds and making breakfast.

Review please. All thoughts and comments are welcomed.