Sorry for not updating for like weeks lol. I've been just having trouble with my stories and I just needed a rest from writing for a little bit. I was in the beginning parts of updating the other day when this storm came through town and the power completely shut off. So I was super pissed, so I took a day off to cool down lol. I've been updating my other fics and it just seemed like I couldn't think of anything for this chapter, but it came to me so hopefully it won't be a boring chapter.
Also check out my other fics if you can. Brucas lovers should check out When the Smoke Settles. And if you're kind of open minded to Brooke with made up characters, then read The Tangled Web We Weave. They're both pretty good and Brucas lovers are loving The Tangled Web We Weave, so yeah look into those if you can.
Like I said, I have having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with this chapter but I pretty much have the whole idea down. I realized when I read through the last chapters that I push Lucas and Brooke to meet in like every single scene, which I don't want to do anymore, because it wouldn't seem real. So there kind of going to do their own thing for the time being, and then kind of go on with their friendship lol. Enjoy && Review!!!
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Chapter 14: Like Pulling Teeth
It had been a few days, and for some reason Peyton was MIA the whole damn time. She went into work early and then came home and went to bed before Lucas even walked through the door. A couple of months ago Lucas probably wouldn't have cared at all, he liked it when him and Peyton had as little communication as possible, he actually expected it and nothing less. But he was trying to change, and he couldn't help but feel bothered by Peyton's continuous absence. How much? Well, enough that he was sitting in the kitchen before sunrise, waiting for his so called wife to leave, and he would catch her.
The rational way to go about this would be to just talk to her when she got home, but who knows when, Peyton went to bed as soon as she did get home. Another better way would be to just call her at work, or even come to her work, but Lucas knew better than anyone that wasn't going to get her to talk. Whenever Peyton got upset or something didn't go as she planned, she shut herself into anything that she could to get her mind off what it was that was bothering her. Lucas knew exactly what it was, but that didn't mean Peyton was going to tell him.
He glanced at the clock, 6:05. She would be coming down to the kitchen to make instant coffee and head to work. Little did she know that Lucas was sitting at the kitchen bar with coffee already in the pot, and a cup in his hand. If this didn't throw Peyton off, he didn't know what would.
Before he even walked down the stairs at 5:45, he knew that this wasn't going to be easy, that was for sure. Mainly because it was Peyton, the girl who was once filled head to toe in issues. And it was comforting to see some things never changed, Peyton still had some problems with her. She didn't change as much as she would have liked to believe, but she was definitely more independant. But there would still be some issues with this conversation. One being because Peyton never liked talking about her problems. Another being because it was 6 in the morning, and he definitely wasn't in the mood for anything. And lastly, Brooke would somehow be in this conversation, that was a issue within itself.
He heard the clacking of shoes as Peyton walked downstairs. Originally he hadn't planned on sitting in the dark, but it would brighten off his morning, and he just wanted to see what Peyton would do. He heard her footsteps slowing down as she reached the entrance to the kitchen, feeling around for the light next to the refrigerator. The minute she saw somebody sitting there she yelled, her big eyes even bigger, and her hand clutching her chest. Lucas couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"God Lucas! You scared the hell out of me! What are you doing up anyway?" Peyton badgered, trying to regain her composure.
"I could ask you the same thing," Lucas said sternly.
"I'm going into work early. Is that a problem with you?" Peyton asked as she poured coffee into a thermos.
"Seriously Peyton? If you have to get to work early, so at 8, not 6 in the freaking morning!" Lucas exclaimed, steering her into a chair.
"Lucas you know I'm busy at work. We're having this big project being done with the gallery and I have to be there every step of the way! I don't have little minions to do all my work for me," Peyton said harshly.
"That might be true, but we both know why you've been leaving early every single morning for the past couple of days."
"Uh yeah, because I have work Lucas! This is finally my chance to show everybody that I can actually do this. You don't seem to understand how important this is for everything to work out!"
He had to admit, she had her alibi corked on tight. Peyton did have a big project going on at work, it was something that would make or break her career, not just in management, but in her art skills as well. And let's face it, Peyton kicked ass when it came to art.
"You're right, this is a big opportunity for you, and I want you to do well. But you're using that as an excuse, because you don't want to talk about what happened with Brooke," Lucas stated, leaning against the counter.
Peyton shrugged, "There's nothing to talk about. I tried to reach out to Brooke, and obviously she's still reall pissed about what happened."
"And that bothers you, but you don't even want to talk about it. Because whenever things don't go your way, you shut out everyone else and try to forget about it, but all you're doing is making things ten times worse for you and everyone else," Lucas explained.
"Gee thanks Dr. Phil," Peyton said, rolling her eyes.
"Look I just want to talk," Lucas said calmly, before realizing how stupid he just sounded.
"No offense but our whole marriage lacked communication," she scoffed.
"You're right again but we're not talking about our marriage, or me, we're talking about you and I know that's a hard concept to grasp. You can't go back to shutting out your feelings and everyone else for that matter. Now I really think we need to talk about what happened with Brooke, and not that whole 'there's nothing to talk about crap' because we both know there's more to it."
"Why do you care anyway? Not even a month ago us not talking about anyway was normal!"
"But we're not talking about me, like I've tried to tell you so many times. This isn't about me, but while we're on the subject, yes, I do care, which is why I'm doing this. I'm trying to be a better person now, that the man I've been for the past five years. So I'm gonna help you, whether I have to come up with a plan to get you and Brooke to be friends again, or just talk to you about it, I'll do it."
"There's no me and Brooke anymore. She's still mad at me for what happened before, can't say I blame her. But she's still mad at me, and she's moving on with her life, and I have nothing to do with it anymore."
"So you're just going to throw away your friendship just like that? You've been through so much together. School shootings, three absent parents, two dead moms, me. You can't give up now. Brooke's just scared because she trusted you and she doesn't want to be hurt like that again. You just have to let her know that me and you are over."
Peyton laughed bitterly, "You just don't get it do you Lucas? Sure, me and Brooke could be acquaintances, maybe even friends. But we can't be friends when you're still trying to get her back into your life."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucas asked, clearly confused.
"You're trying to win Brooke back, and that's great, I want you two to be together again. But as long as you're trying to win her back, me and Brooke can't be friends. Brooke's always going to be that insecure girl that she was in high school, as long as me and you are still friends."
Lucas considered this, and Peyton could very well be right. Brooke always had trust issues, and they were very strict when it came to Peyton and Lucas having any kind of friendship. He really wanted to be with Brooke more than anything, but he felt guilty if he just dissed Peyton, it wasn't right.
"But you said she's changed, and who knows, maybe for the better. The whole insecurity thing, I have to reassure her, not you. This is my thing to fix, and all you could do for her right now is just give her space, and then see where it all goes."
"You really want to make things right don't you?"
"Of course. You didn't believe me before?" Lucas asked.
"I tried to, I just didn't know if you would follow through, wouldn't be the first time," Peyton said, picking up her purse.
"That was the last time. I'm gonna make things right Peyton, one way or another."
--
Nathan couldn't take this anymore. Here he was on a very nice day, having breakfast. He was having it by himself, but it seemed like a good day. Haley was oversleeping, like she should, and Brooke was sitting on top of the kitchen island, staring at him, and this was a problem within itself.
He enjoyed having Brooke around, he really did. She was always this big ball of energy, and nothing was ever boring with Brooke Davis around. But for the past ten minutes, Nathan had been drinking cofee and reading the sports section, and Brooke continued to peel her orange, staring at him like she had this huge secret she just had to tell Nathan, who could really care less.
Glancing up one more time to see if she was still staring, he set down his paper and leaned back in his chair.
"Okay, what did you do?" He sighed, looking at Brooke for the first time this morning.
She looked shocked, "I didn't do anything, at least I don't think so."
"Alright, then what are you planning and what is it going to cost me?"
"You say it like it's a bad thing," Brooke scoffed.
"Just tell me what's going through your mind."
Brooke jumped off the counter and sat excitedly across from him, "I wanna throw Tutorgirl a baby shower."
Nathan raised his eyebrows, "Umm alright, what do you need me for?"
"Just about everything. First thing making sure Haley has no idea what's going on, because we both know I'm terrible at keeping secrets."
"But you just told..."
"Anyway, and I'm going to need you to help me spread the word, once again, without Haley knowing. Then there's the distraction thing, which I already have an idea. And then you just have to get all your guy friends together and do whatever, but no stripping," Brooke said, pointing at him.
"This all sounds great, but why were you so consistent in making me feel like you did something bad?" Nathan laughed.
"Because I don't think it would be a good idea to invite Peyton or Lucas thats all," Brooke said innocently.
He tilted his head, "Brooke, Lucas is the baby's uncle, and Peyton is his wife."
"Thanks for reminding me," she mumbled.
"But don't you think it would be a nice thing to just put aside your differences for Haley's baby shower? Plus, Lucas isn't even going to be there, why would it matter?"
"Well Lucas isn't the problem, Peyton is. I just don't want to spend the whole time being badgered by her to be forgiven," Brooke said defensively.
"Then why don't you just forgive her and get it all over with?"
"Because it's not that simple. I haven't even thought about being friends with Peyton again, and I really don't feel like starting now."
"Just invite them. If it makes you feel better I could talk to Peyton before the shower. Come on, just invite Peyton," Nathan said.
"Alright fine, but you're talking to her before hand."
"Fine with me. So when's this thing happening anyway?"
"I was thinking on Sunday," Brooke said, pouring coffee into a mug.
"This Sunday? It's a little soon don't you think?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah it's pretty soon, but I'll have everything arranged before than," Brooke said confidentally.
"What was I thinking asking you that?" Nathan said sarcastically.
"I know. Nathan you should know by now that I work good under pressure, and this shower will defintely be fun for Haley."
"As long as it's fun for Hales, then do whatever you need to do," Nathan said just as Haley walked into the kitchen.
"What about me?" Haley asked, yawning.
"Oh nothing, we were just talking about how fun over sleeping is," Brooke said quickly.
Haley raised her eyebrows, "Umm yeah I guess it's refreshing."
"Yeah, but I have a meeting with my agent in a little bit, so I better get going," Nathan said, kissing Haley on the cheek and waving to Brooke.
"Are you sure that was all you guys were talking about?" Haley asked suspiciously.
"Of course Haley," Brooke said, the gears already turning in her head.
--
After him and Peyton's talk, Lucas felt a little bit better about himself. Truth be told, he was already starting to like this nice person he was trying to become. There was still alot to go, he knew that was for sure. Hopefully he could make amends with the town and try to get in touch with his mom, then finally get to be with Brooke. That was his ideal outcome he wanted out of this whole life changing thing he was going through.
In a way he could see where Peyton was coming from. Lucas still had no idea how Brooke came to be so insecure about herself when it came to Lucas and Peyton. You could blame it on what happened before, but that was in the past, and Lucas couldn't change it as much as he wanted to. The right thing would be to just divorce Peyton and spend the rest of the time trying to get Brooke to see that he was sorry, and that he wanted to be with her and not Peyton.
But in a way he thought still being married to Peyton would make Brooke realize it even more. It sounded idiotic and just not reasonable, but the more he thought about it, the more right it seemed. If he were to stay married to Peyton while pursuing Brooke, maybe it would make her realize that he only wanted her, even when he had a perfectly good wife already. But then it could all backfire on him, but he would worry about that later.
As he walked through the doors of Scott Motors, he noticed all his employees looking at him kind of weirdly, like he grew two extra heads. Lucas would've asked them what was going on, but on second thought he didn't even want to know. He readjusted his blue tie, while back tracking his mind, trying to find out what would make them look at him like that. He hadn't done anything malicious or bad lately, so it couldn't be that, so what was it?
"Mr. Scott!" piped his secretary Linda. She was a small middle aged woman, always nervous all the time, probably because of all the stories she's heard about Lucas. But she was a nice lady and always knew when he did and didn't want to talk to anybody, which was a nice trait because Lucas's mood swings were hot and cold.
"Yes, Linda?" Lucas said, stopping abruptly at her desk.
"You have a visitor. I've already sent her into your office," she said professionally.
"Alright thanks," Lucas said confused as he continued to walk toward his office, eager to find out who it was.
His heart jumped a thousand feet when he saw Brooke sitting in the chair across from his desk. He didn't expect to see her so soon after their last meeting, actually he didn't expect her to come to him at all. She was dressed in knee cut jeans and a white polo shirt, which made Lucas feel a little overdressed. But only Brooke could dress casual and still look better than everyone.
"Hey Lucas," Brooke said brightly.
"So you're why everybody was looking at me like I chopped someone's head off," Lucas said laughing awkwardly, setting his briefcase on top of his desk.
"I guess they've all been well informed about me," Brooke said, rolling eyes.
"Yeah, you're still well known around here," Lucas said.
"So I take it you're surprised to see me," she smirked.
"Uh yeah just a little. So what can I do for you?" Lucas asked her, trying to get his heart rate back to normal.
"Well I'm planning a surprise baby shower for Haley this upcoming Sunday," Brooke said.
His eyebrows knit together amused, "That's great, she'll enjoy it. But I thought baby showers were only for the women?"
Brooke chuckled, "Well yeah they are, but since most of the ladies coming have husbands, Nathan's putting together this men hanging out thingy at the beach house. Just playing NBA Live and drinking beer. But like I told him, no strippers."
Lucas laughed, "Yeah, that sounds like fun. That's what we did the morning of the their wedding too."
"I bet you did," Brooke said, thinking back to the day of the wedding. The girls were already getting dressed at 9 in the morning.
"So is that all you came to my office, because if it was you could've just called me."
Brooke winced, "Actually that's not all it."
Lucas looked at her knowingly, "Ohhhh, I see your angle."
"My, angle?" Brooke asked.
"You invited me to Nathan's 'hang out thingy' because you're covering up the part where you want me to tell Peyton she's invited to the shower," Lucas explained simply.
She shook her head, "I should've known better, you were going to figure it out soon enough."
"What can I say? I know you."
"Well it's kind of hard to forget me," Brooke shrugged.
"Yeah, it is. I have to ask, why didn't you just tell Peyton yourself?"
"Isn't it obvious? I guess I don't want it to be awkward when I talked to her. I thought it was just better this way if I went to you."
"But you know she isn't going to get in a fight with you. I'm sure she would be happy to know you invited her."
"As mean as it sounds, I was kind of hesitant in inviting her," Brooke said, looking down at her heels.
"Because you don't want her apologizing to you over and over again?" Lucas smirked.
"Geez, you really have to stop doing that," Brooke smiled.
"Sorry, but I just talked to Peyton for the first time in like 3 days this morning. I don't think you have to worry about her saying anything to you," Lucas explained.
"Oh, Peyt's still pulling that disappearing thing?"
Lucas nodded, "Yup, so I had to get up at like 5:45 this morning so I would be awake in time to catch her leaving."
"Wow. So why do you think she won't be saying anything to me?" Brooke asked eagerly.
"Because she knows how I feel about you. And she doesn't want to be in the way and make you feel uncomfortable or anything."
Brooke just nodded, not really knowing what to think of what Lucas had just told her. She knew that Lucas was looking into getting back together with her, but she didn't think that would ever happen, what with his current status with Peyton. And she had Brian, who was great, and someone she had talked to twice a day since being back in Tree Hill. She wouldn't give that up, no matter what Lucas was saying.
"So you'll go hang out with Nate and the guys?" Brooke asked, changing the subject.
"Honestly I don't know. I mean, most of the guys that are going to be there probably hate my guts. I'm not sure it would be a good thing if I went," Lucas said.
"You said you wanted to make things right with everyone right?" Brooke asked, grabbing her purse and heading towards the door, Lucas following her.
"Yeah of course I want to get everyone to forgive me," Lucas said confused.
"Then maybe this is your chance. Start with the guys on Sunday, let them hear you out," Brooke shrugged.
"You're right. Yeah, I guess I'll go," Lucas said.
Brooke smiled, "Great, well I'm gonna go now."
"What do you have planned for the rest of the day?" Lucas asked, walking Brooke to the exit of the dealership.
"I think I'm going to go invite Peyton now," Brooke said slowly.
"Really?" Lucas asked surprised.
"Yeah, it would be the nice thing to do," Brooke said.
"I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."
"Thanks, so I'll talk to you later?"
"Yup, bye," Lucas said, waving his hand a little bit. He let out a breath and smiled. Brooke had just came to his work to invite him to a 'men hang out thingy,' when she could've just called him up on the phone and invited him. Maybe she was opening up to him a little bit more.
"Get back to work," he commanded as all the employees turned around and went back to what they were doing, all wondering what had happened to their boss.