Things We Never Thought

by meSOcoolxD

BL. Sometimes what you're looking for is right where you left it.

20. Where Is Your Boy Tonight?

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. It was a better turn out than before, and I hope they keep coming that way. So I've all of a sudden been getting a lot of ideas about what I want to happen and stuff that will make for some good drama lol. I'm pretty busy with school, so I don't really have time to write it all at once, so I mostly just write it in parts everyday until it's where I want it to be. Plus I have a MacBook and fanfiction doesn't allow me to upload stories on it, so I have to go to my desktop computer to upload chapters and stuff. It's annoying as crap, so hopefully people with Mac will be able to upload chaters. Once again I know that mostly all of you just want Brucas to get back together, but it just doesn't work that way, sorry. So in the mean time, everyone is welcome to just add something or leave comments in reviews about what you would like to see. Only thing is, nothing too drastic, and it has to be something that I would maybe consider.

Ohh yess, the night at Tric lol. I wasn't really even planning on bring Tric back, but it was something that just popped into my head at one point, and I knew that it was somethign that would probably be fun to write about. To be honest I wrote probably two drafts of this chapter before I actually found the format and the different scenes that I wanted to happen. This is probably going to be one of the longest chapters, just because there's so much going on with just about everybody. We got just about every single constant character in it, along with a few other ones that we haven't heard from in awhile. I don't want to give too much away, but things definitely get interesting. Enjoy and Review!!

.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.OTH.

Chapter 20;; Where Is Your Boy Tonight?

"Oh gawd," Peyton mumbled to herself as she stood on the top stage, watching as torrents of people began to make their way into the club, their heads bopping to the beat of the music. Everyone was dressed to impress, whether they were wearing party dresses of heels that they'll probably never see again by the time the night was over. Oh yes, it was going to be one of those nights. In the center of the club she saw the two newly hired bartenders already pouring different drinks into pristine glasses. And some people were already taking some of the hard stuff.

She was wearing black skinny jeans and a white ribbed tank with a signature C/B flaming heart printed on it. It occurred to her many times that she was wearing Brooke's clothes, and her and Brooke weren't really friends, but it was cute, and maybe it would be some sort of a sign to Brooke, saying how much she really wanted to work things out. But she wasn't convinced that would actually happen, and Brooke would probably show up looking glamorous like she always did, and being at Tric tonight wouldn't make a difference just because Lucas was going to be there.

Throughout everything, there had been only three constants in Peyton's life: music, art, and Brooke, and for the past six years, all Peyton ever had to fall back on was art, and it stayed art for awhile. She had her own gallery that she was very successful in. But music had definitely taken a back seat in her life. It had been years since she had purchased a record on vinyl, and even longer since she actually felt something when she listened to music. Like art, music had been therapy for Peyton, and her session was long over due. And Brooke, well, that was a train wreck.

No one would probably ever be able to understand their friendship, and to be perfectly honest, Peyton didn't know why she and Brooke were that great of friends anyway. They understood each other, part of the time, and Brooke was always there to make her feel better, no matter what. Brooke wore her heart on her sleeve, and Peyton refused to accept that fact that someone could actually love her. Put two and two together, that equals Brooke getting heart broken and pissed, and Peyton left to suddenly decide that it just wasn't worth it. And it never was worth it.

But through it all, Brooke and Peyton had been each other's support systems. They didn't always show it in the conventional way, but that was because neither of them wanted conventional. They wanted to do what best friends did, regardless of the sorrow and heartache that passed their lives on what seemed to be a regular basis. Peyton knew in her heart that if she was in trouble, or she needed someone, Brooke would be there no matter what had happened between them. She just hoped Brooke knew that she would always be there for her too. But in all reality, Peyton knew that Brooke would never be going to her for comfort any time soon. But the way she saw it, as long as she was insulting Peyton, at least it showed that Brooke still cared.

The technicians had dimmed the lights already, leaving the colorful beams of light gleaming throughout the club. People came, looking on in amazement. It encouraged Peyton quite a bit, but she still didn't reconize anyone that she knew or that seemed the least bit familiar. But it was a Friday night in Tree Hill, what else was there to do? She stood there, taking in the scene, still not quite sure why she was standing dead in front of the stage with nothing but a reminiscent and nervous look on her face. So much for making good appearances. The tables were filling up, and she could barely make out the two bartenders, who seemed to be hauling ass around the bar, trying to get everyone's drinks served as soon as possible. Something told her she would have to hire more bartenders, although it did surprise her quite a bit. There were tons of scandals and drama in Tree Hill, but she didn't think that many people would be wanting to forget something.

Peyton sighed in relief as she saw Lucas making his way into the club, the bouncer just checking his ID. He had this awkward look on his face, like he had no idea what the hell he was doing here, and how much he felt like he just didn't belong there in the first place. She chuckled, Lucas had been feeling that way for a long time. She hopped down from the stage, stumbling a bit from the uneasiness her flats gave her. Making her way towards Lucas, Peyton cursed herself for not just wearing Converses instead. If she looked hard enough, she probably could've found them underneath all her old stuff from high school. Lucas saw her approaching him, and he suddenly had a face of relief as well. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he continued to stand there.

"Wow, this definitely brings back a lot of memories," Lucas stated, staring around at the nightclub, remembering just about every single experience he had in it.

Peyton nodded her head, "Yeah, it does kind of remind us of how we used to be. Only problem is, you're the only person I've seen here that I actually know."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Tric only opened as of five minutes ago," Lucas smirked. "And something tells me Brooke will be making an appearance with her arm candy boyfriend."

"Oh how could we ever forget that?" Peyton said sarcastically. "But what about Nathan and Haley? Have they told you about coming tonight?"

"Yeah, I talked to Nathan awhile ago. He said that they were going to come over and hang, but they might leave early because of Hales."

"Of course. So," Peyton began, "what's your game plan? Because believe me, you're going to need one."

He rolled his eyes, "Wow, thanks. No shit I need a plan. Only problem is, I don't fucking have one. I've been trying to figure out what I could possibly do tonight to convince Brooke more than we belong together, but I can't get anything. It's like, I have writer's block, only with my, heart or something. Nothing's coming together, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do tonight."

"Okay first of all, your analogies suck. And second of all, you can't just force yourself to shoot out ideas of what you can do. You have to feel it in your heart too, otherwise, how do you expect Brooke to feel it? You know Brooke, she's already got that brick wall up and sturdy. Look, when you see her, just to the first thing that comes to mind. It shouldn't be that hard for you."

Lucas looked at her, "Believe me Peyton, I don't think it would be a good idea to do the first thing that comes to my mind. Something says I'll get a drink poured on me and then slapped."

"Well, then I can't really give you any more advice. This is something you're going to have to deal with when the times comes," she shrugged.

He scoffed, "Wait, what ever happened to me having to have a game plan. And from what you've said, you've contradicted everything you told me in the beginning. So basically, I need to have a game plan, but I can't force myself to do something." It was times like these that he remembered the old Peyton Sawyer: covered head to toe in issues. And he still didn't want a girl like that.

"Yeah well, it came off that way when I said it," Peyton corrected. "But you'll know what I'm talking about when you see her. Come on Lucas, it never was hard for you to confess your feelings."

"I know that, but in case you forgot, I'm not exactly the same exact person I was before. I can't just tell people how I feel, because I don't know the words to say it, and the other half of the time I don't know what exactly it is I'm feeling. I know I said this before, but this is going to be a lot harder than I thought," Lucas explained, suddenly in dire need of some sort of alcohol.

Peyton spied Lucas' gaze, which seemed to be towards the bar. "Ah ah ah, don't even think about drinking yourself into a stupor. We all know you're a complete asshole when you're drunk, and trying to get Brooke to listen to you will not make anything better when you're being a dickhead." There was no way she was going to let Lucas ruin this with just a shot of tequila.

Lucas shook his head, "Yeah, I know, you're right, but it is a bit tempting." He looked around the club more, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest, wondering what was the cause of it.

Peyton began to dig through her pants pocket, trying to find where the vibrating feeling down her leg was coming from. She retrieved it, checking the called ID. "Uhm, hey Luke are you going to be okay here by yourself? I have an important call that I have to take."

He rolled his eyes, "What am I, ten years old? I'll be fine by myself Peyton, you go and take the call." She shrugged before walking away into what was left of a secluded corner, which was being invaded by a group of people. He began to stand around in the middle of the club, wanting to be anywhere but here, because frankly, he didn't know what he was going to while here.

"Dude, does this bring back memories or what?" Nathan shouted over the music. Lucas sighed in relief, happy that he finally saw someone that he knew.

"I was just telling Peyton that when I first walked in," Lucas explained. "So, where's Haley at?"

"Uhmm, she's actually somewhere with, Brooke," Nathan said, hesitant at the last part. Lucas looked at him.

"Oh, so she's with Brooke and Brian?" he asked harshly, not wanting to turn around and find Brooke and Brian together near the bar.

Nathan smirked, "Actually, you seem to have lucked out again my friend, or, brother. See, Brian had to leave for an emergency trip a couple of hours ago, so he's not here."

This could not be happening right now. There was no way that Brooke could be here at Tric, alone, unaccompanied, with no Brian for hundreds of miles. Nathan was right, he seemed to have lucked out. His hands began to get clammy, and he was pretty sure his face was on fire. Nathan continued to look at him in amusement, thoughts running through his mind like wild fire.

"Wow, that's something," Lucas mumbed, looking to the opposite site of the club.

"Yeah, it is a whole lot of something," he began. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"What am I going to do about what?" Lucas asked dumbly.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Dude, don't play that dumb shit with me. What are you going to do with Brooke? She's alone tonight after all, and if I know Brooke, and I pretty much do since I brought her ass here, there's probably tons of guys that are going to be laying it on her thick. Who knows, they might even want to take her home or something."

Lucas glared at him, "Don't talk about Brooke like that."

He held his hands up in defense, "Okay, I'd be the first person to kick some ass if someone even touched Brooke in the wrong way. But you, you need to get your ass in gear and make a move. Who knows when you're going to get this opportunity. More like never if you ask me."

"I wouldn't exactly call it an opportunity. Brooke's probably going to do everything she can to make sure she can stay as far away from me as possible," Lucas explained.

"And you should be doing everything you can to make sure that you're with her the entire night, or into the morning, either one works for me," Nathan grinned.

Lucas scoffed, "Yeah, like that would ever happen. It's going to be a task even getting her to acknowledge me."

"It shouldn't be that hard, there's not that many studs around here, well, besides me," he said simply.

Lucas continued to shake his head, "I don't know man. I don't think tonight's the night for things like this to be happening."

Nathan shrugged, "Alright fine. But you're probably never going to get an opportunity to talk to Brooke as long as she's here. Just thought I'd help you out or something." He walked back into the crowd, probably looking for Haley and Brooke. He looked on in disappointment and defeat.

Peyton returned, stuffing her phone back into her pocket, "So, you see anyone you know yet?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I ran into Nathan a couple of mintues ago. He just left actually."

"Ohh, so that means Brooke and Brian are here?" Peyton asked, her eyebrows raised.(

Lucas chuckled, "That's the thing. Brian's not here. Nate said something about him going on an unexpected business trip back to New York for tonight."

Then all of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, caused by Peyton punching him. He rubbed his arm, "Ow! What the fuck was that for?"

Peyton smiled sweetly, "That is for not already talking to Brooke? Are you a completely and utter idiot? Because I think you are. If you were a smart man at all, you would already be talking to Brooke, trying to work things out. Lucas you have to seize this moment by the horns, because let's face it, when are you ever going to get a chance to do this?"

"It's easier said than done Peyton. How the hell am I supposed to approach her?" Lucas asked, frustrated because even he himself didn't know what to do.

"Thats for you to figure out Lucas. Me on the other hand, I have to go help out with the sound check," she said, patting him on the shoulder before walking towards the stage.

Lucas watched her walk away before making his way over to the bar. There was a bartender serving a drink to the person next to him before he turned to Lucas.

"What can I get you, man?" he asked. Lucas didn't even have to think about it.

"I'll have a shot of tequila with a lime, then I want a double scotch single malt on the rocks," he said shortly, looking at his watch.

The bartender smirked, "Coming right up."

Lucas turned around and leaned against the bar, watching the people start to make their way to the dance floor, having fun. Too bad he wasn't one of those people tonight. Lucas knew he probably shouldn't be drinking tonight, but it was the least he could do since he was basically screwed. There was no way he was going to be able to get through this night without a drink.

"Shot of tequila with lime," the bartender said, returning with the small shotglass and a cut lime on a napkin.

Lucas nodded, "Thanks," before taking the shot and biting hard into the lime. He scrunched his face, the strong taste burning down his throat.

"When's that scotch coming?" he asked suddenly, his throat still numb.

"It's on the way," the bartender said, returning down the line. He began to take the order of a petite brunette, who seemed just as depressed to be here as Lucas was. If it was any other situation, he probably would've been shocked to see Brooke here so soon. But the tequila had shortly drained his senses, and probably his ability to freak out. She looked mesmerizing, so amazing that it still surprised him that after this long, she could still take his breath away. She was wearing a short fuschia silk party dress with a heart shaped neckline and just on her mid thigh. She complimented it with gold stilettos and soft curls, her eyes smokey and her lips sparkling.

The bartender brought her a martinis glass with a bright red concoction. Now he really wasn't sure what to do.

The bartender served her order before returning back to him with a glass of caramel colored liquid, "Have fun, man."

"Thanks again. Oh, and can you send that hot brunette over there a Sex on the Beach? Put it on my tab," he said, setting a fifty dollar bill on the bar table.

"You don't want me to send a note with it or anything?" he asked.

Lucas shook his head, "Nah it's alright. She'll know who it's from."

"You want the change?"

"No, I have a feeling I'm going to be coming back in a bit," Lucas said before making his way around the club, trying to find a chair or something.

He took a long swig of his drink, "This is going to be a long night."

If you were to notice her in any club, including this one, you would be shocked by the gloomy look on her face. There was no way a girl as beautiful as her would be in the club alone, for that matter, looking like she didn't want to be there. Not to mention the fact that she looked dressed to kill. But for once, she didn't care if people were talking. Brooke continued to stir through her drink, wondering how she ended up here anyway.

"Okay seriously Brooke, you have to enjoy yourself tonight," Haley said, taking a sip of her water.

"But Haley I can't. How am I supposed to have fun when my own fucking boyfriend isn't even here," Brooke whined, taking bigger gulps of her drink.

"Well how the hell am I supposed to have fun when I'm fucking pregnant?" Haley shot back. "But I'm trying to make the most of it, and you should too. Plus, it's not like Brian planned to go back up to New York tonight."

.FLASHBACK.

"I can't believe you're leaving," Brooke said disbelievingly, watching Brian pack a shirt in his bag.

He smiled sadly at her, "Brooke you know I don't want to leave. But this is an emergency, and I have to be up there."

"But you said you cleared for schedule for the next couple of weeks, and now you're just going to go and leave?"

"It's not like that, and yes, I did clear me schedule so I could be down here with you with no interruptions. It's not like I expected this you know."

"I know Bri, but it's the opening of Tric, and this was probably the one big thing that I wanted you to see, and you're not even going to be here for it," she stated.

He looked at her closely, "Are you sure that's why? I mean, sure, I'm sure Tric is a cool place to hang out. But Lucas is also going to be there right?"

"What's your point?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"I'm just saying, maybe you just don't want him to be around you, so you want me to go so he'll stay away."

She chuckled, "Well yeah, but you're talking like I'm using you or something, when I'm not."

"Well how am I supposed to know that Brooke?" Brian asked. "You're supposed to have this story book romance with Lucas, and I don't know, maybe you say you don't want to be with him, when in reality, maybe you do, and maybe I'm just a shield that you're using."

"How dare you?" Brooke exclaimed. "I can't believe you would have the audacity to say that I'm using you? I would've thought you'd have known me better than that!"

"What am I supposed to believe? You haven't tried to convince me otherwise? I mean, you hate his wife!"

"Who used to be my best friend, who stabbed me in the back once or twice, so I'm sorry if I'm still hurt about that. And why the hell did you think I asked you to come over here? Believe me Brian, if I was using you, I wouldn't have been in this relationship for so long."

"Do you really believe that? Do you really believe that you and Lucas have absolutely nothing going on. Can you tell me that I will have nothing to worry about when I'm gone?" Brian asked.

"It depends. How long are you going to be gone?" Brooke asked sarcastically. Brian looked at her, and she sighed, "I shouldn't even have to answer this. You should already know."

"Brooke, can you just please answer the damn question? Do I have anything to worry about. Anything at all?"

Brooke sighed again before shaking her head. "No, you don't have anything to worry about."

Brian nodded, "Okay, then I'm sorry for assuming those things."

"If you're sorry, then why did you say them?" Brooke asked. For her, this had come completely out of the blue. She had no idea what had possessed Brian to ask her such strange and unfamiliar questions, especially from him.

He crossed his arms, "I don't know. It's just that, we're around town, and I hear things. I know all about you and Lucas, mainly because you told me, and I love you for that. But when everyone's around town talking about the love that you two had, how the hell am I supposed to compete with that?"

"But you don't have to compete with it, there's nothing to fight over. I'm here with you, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to. You should know me better than that. I love you Brian, and sure, I'm not going to lie. What me and Lucas had was really something, and that's something that I will always remember. But the fact of the matter is that it's over, and we're not the same people we were before."

Brian leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "Okay, I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

Brooke nodded her head, "Yeah, it's okay." She shook her head, "Anyways, how long are you going to be gone?"

"Only for tonight. I should be back here some time tomorrow afternoon or evening," Brian answered.

"Okay, well, it's not that long," she said faintly. That only meant that she was vulnerable to Lucas for another day. "Well, I better start getting ready for tonight."

"Oh come on, if I can't be there tonight, can you at least have fun. For me?" Brian pleaded, pulling her body towards him.

Brooke smirked, "Yeah, I guess I can for you. But you're going to have to miss my outfit. I was planning on pulling out all the stops tonight."

"Really?" Brian asked, eyebrows raised. "Maybe you can show me your outfit now?"

Brooke shook her head, "Sorry Boyfriend, but you've got a plane to catch."

.END OF FLASHBACK.

"Yeah I know, I just really wanted him to see this place up and running. It's probably the only interesting place that he would've liked," Brooke answered, stirring her drink. The whole time leading up to Brian leaving, and after he was already up in the air, she felt like maybe she was making him as an excuse for tonight. She knew that Lucas was going to be there, and yet she was so desperate to make sure that Brian was by her side the whole night. What was she trying to hide from?

"There will be other nights like this," Haley said. "I'm sure if Tric does awesome tonight then we'll be here every Friday night... Right?" Brooke knew what Haley was talking about. Sure, the whole moving factor had been on Brooke's mind, but she hadn't really thought about it until now.

"Haley I told you I was going to open up a store here, it's just going to take some time for me to tell Victoria," Brooke said easily."

"And Brian?" Haley asked knowingly.

Brooke groaned, "Ughh, he still doesn't know about it yet. But how the hell am I supposed to tell him that I might have to break up with him because I plan on moving back to my old hometown??"

"There's no easy way to tell him or to go about it, so why don't you just tell him and get it over with?" Haley asked.

"Because it's just too damn hard. I mean, Brian's a nice man, and I love him a lot, so how am I supposed to tell him something like that?"

"Maybe you don't have to. It's called long distance relationships Brookie," Haley said matter-of-factly.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and how many of those have you seen work out? Zilch."

"Well you and Lucas would've worked out if he hadn't been such an asshole," Haley pointed out.

Brooke narrowed her eyes, "But we're not talking about me and Lucas, that was a lifetime ago, and that just proves that long distance relationships cannot work, no matter how much a couple loves each other. It's just going to get hard and fall apart. I'd rather get out now while I have the chance."

It was Haley's turn now to narrow her eyes, "Really? Because it seems to me like you're just using this long distance excuse to get out of being with him. The truth is, you really don't want to be with him, but you don't want to hurt him like you were hurt by Lucas. Am I right?"

"Gosh you sound so like Nathan."

"Well he is my husband. Come on Brooke. What's really going on here?"

"Nothing Haley," Brooke said. "It's just that I don't want to be in a sticky relationship like that. All it does is add more stress to my life and that's something I certainly don't need if I'm going to open up shop here with Victoria breathing down my neck, just waiting for me to screw up."

"You're going to have to call her 'mom' sometime," Haley smirked. There was no way she was going to let this whole thing go, but for the sake of tonight, she would hold off until morning.

Brooke scoffed, "Don't waste your breath Hales. I can't believe I'm actually related to that woman. Something tells me it was better for my parents to leave me to be raised by nannies, if they hadn't, I would've been more screwed up than I am now."

"You're not screwed up, and it's your mom's loss in the first place. I mean, does she actually seem sorry for what she did?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, "What? Leaving me to live fend for myself my whole life? Hell no. If anything, she feels like she did the best thing and my dad is too busy in work to think about me, and I don't even think I matter anymore since he got a divorce with that shrew. In Victoria's mind, she did me a favor, and I think in a way she's right."

"You turned out great Brooke, and as far as Victoria, you are you're own person, and if you want to do something, then do it. Don't worry about what Victoria's going to try to do."

"I'll try not to, but once she gets wind of this, she's most likely to fly down here herself, and that's the last thing I want," Brooke said before Peyton made their way over to them, grinning like a mad idiot. They weren't exactly on the best of terms, but it seemed like tonight didn't make any difference. Plus, it would've been rude if Peyton hadn't talked to them that night.

"You guys having fun?" she asked, standing in between their two barstools.

"Oh yeah, we were just talking about my mom," Brooke said, smiling sarcastically.

Peyton frowned, "Okay, I take that back. Now stop talking about that bitch. You guys are going to go crazy when you find out who's playing tonight."

Haley groaned, "Oh my goodness Peyton, will you just tell us. This has been going on all week, I wanna know!"

Peyton shook her head, "Sorry, no can do Hales. You're just going to have to wait and see."

"Oh yeah and when will that be?"

She glanced at her watch, "Hm, in about ten minutes." As soon as she said that the bartender named Owen had set down another drink in front of Brooke. She looked at him weirdly. She didn't order a drink, and sure, it would've been nice to know that the bartender was hitting her her, but tonight wasn't her night.

"Um, I didn't order another drink," Brooke stated.

Owen smirked, "I know, some guy on the other side asked me to send it to you. He said you'd know who it was from." Brooke watched Owen's retreating form, wondering what the hell was going on. It was bad enough that her own boyfriend wasn't in town when he said he was going to stay, now she had to be faced with the confusion of trying to figure out who the hell had sent her a Sex on the Beach. Sure, she had ordered it herself, but for a guy to send it to her was just creepy.

"Okay, I seriously don't know who this is from," she said, staring at the drink.

Haley laughed, "God Brooke, are you that retarded?"

She stared straight ahead, and all of a sudden Lucas' face popped into her head. It wasn't like his face was never in her mind, but tonight it was a bit eery and foreboding, almost scary. This wasn't how she wanted her night to turn out.

"Nevermind," she said simply.

"Wow, this night just keeps getting better and better," Haley said, taking another sip of her water.

"Haley, this is not a laughing matter! This is seriously bothering me, Lucas just sent me a Sex on the Beach!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Whatever, a hundred bucks says you and Lucas end up either getting into a fight or making out by the end of the night," Haley dared.

Brooke scoffed, "Haley, I don't know if it's your hormones or something, but that's not going to happen. In fact, I plan in ignoring Lucas all night."

Haley snorted before getting off her barstool, at great difficulty, "Yeah, we'll see about that." Brooke watched Haley walk away, wonderng where the hell her pregnant best friend got that idea. Not only was it preposterous, it was completely out of line. How the hell could she do this when her own friend didn't even believe her.

"Are you going to drink that?" a voice said from in front of her. She lifted her head to see Owen standing in front of her, wiping down the counter.

"What if I don't?" Brooke challenged.

Owen shrugged, "Why wouldn't you? It's a pretty good drink. The title's not exactly appropriate, but it's got a twist to it. And that guy bought it for you."

"Yeah well I don't owe that guy anything," Brooke muttered, gulping back her original drink.

"Really? Because it sounds like you owe him sex on the beach," he smirked. Brooke glared at him, and his smile fell. He began to reposition glasses, "Oh, so it's one of those guys."

"One of what guys?" Brooked asked. What the hell was she doing talking to a fucking bartender in the first place? An older one at that.

Owen looked at her, "One of those guys who has a knack for breaking your heart over and over again. And for some odd reason, you fall for him again, over and over again."

Brooke chuckled, "That's how it used to be, but now I'm over it. Or at least, I'm trying to be." She looked at the drink Lucas had sent to her. Brooke wasn't exactly in a good mood, so it didn't really affect her when she took three big gulps of it. Something told her tonight was the PERFECT night to get hammered.

"But for some reason it's just not working," Owen completed. "And from the looks of it, he's not letting up."

"Yeah well Lucas only sees what he wants to see. That's been the problem for the past nine years," Brooke explained. She had a strange feeling she would end up pouring out her soul to this bartender.

"Nine years, huh? If that's the case, why didn't you leave?"

"I did, and it worked for awhile. But circumstances led me back here, and now I'm kind of stuck."

"Do you love him?" Owen asked seriously. Brooke tipped back the rest of the drink before laughing.

"Love him? Are you kidding me? How can I possibly love someone that had broken my heart more times than I can remember. How can you love someone like that?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Owen smiled. "You want another?"

Brooke shook her head, "Give me a shot of tequila. And what should I tell you? I don't love him. I can't."

"You can't? Or you're scared to?" Owen asked, revealing a bottle of tequila from under the bar.

She looked at Owen sadly, "Both." He set the shotglass of tequila in front of her and Brooke tipped it back without a second thought. Brooke hadn't had any straight up hard alcohol while she was in New York. Up there, all she drank was champagne, and with Brooke's alcohol tolerance, two glasses didn't even give her a buzz.

"You sure you want to hit it so hard?" Owen asked, watching her in amusement.

Brooke laughed, "I don't think you've heard of me, or have been around here for long. But I definitely want to 'hit it hard.'"

Owen smirked, "Okay, if you say so. But it's not going to make the pain go away, you know."

"What are you, my shrink?" Brooke demanded.

"No, I'm your bartender. But, if you want me to be, I can do that too," he said before walking to take another customer's order. One minutes she's drinking something that Lucas bought her, and then next she's pouring her heart out to a fucking bartender. And on top of that, she was about two drinks away from being competely shit faced, or at least drunk to not have any idea what the hell she was doing or saying.

"Owen! I need another round!"

The lights blinded her even more when the club was dark. The music had stopped, the all the spotlights had been drawn to Peyton's face, the crowd giving all their attention to the blonde. She gulped, suddenly becoming extremely nervous, which had never been a problem before. Back when she co ran Tric with Karen, Peyton had no problem going up to the stage and introducing the killer band performing that night. But it was different this time around. Everyone that was here, knew her as Lucas Scott's wife, and that wasn't good, namely because they were in anything but a marriage to start off, and Lucas already had a bad reputation, God only knew what everyone thought about her.

In the crowd she stopped at Lucas' face. He stood there with a drink in his hand, of course, and he gave her a reassuring smile. She continued to scan the crowd, seeing Nathan and Haley give her a thumbs up, even Brooke, who was further towards the stage, gave her a quick smirk. Peyton didn't know if it was because she was encouraging her, or because she was already drunk, you could never tell with Brooke.

"Uhm, wow, this is certainly a turn out," Peyton said, laughing nervously. The crowd turned around, surveying everybody before laughing. Of course it was a turn out.

"Before I introduce the band, I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This club hasn't been open since I was in high school, and at first I was kind of freaked to see what would become of it. But something tells me that tonight's going to be good, am I right?"

"You got it right, GIRL!" Skills yelled from the bar, causing the crowd to laugh again. Peyton smiled, relieved that she had Skills backing her up.

"Alright, so enough of this. When I first started working here at Tric, I had this weird idea in my head that I could get some really cool bands to perform in this little town. Me being, well, me, I realized a little down the line that I was in way over my head. But there were a couple of people that pushed me and pushed me to believe in myself, and it worked. So this band performing goes way back to the very beginning, for all you Tree Hill alumnis. I hope you guys have fun." She stepped over to the side of the stage, suddenly excited. The guys were already setting up, in the dark, and the crowd was standing there wondering who the hell it was. The sound of an amp was heard, and then some crazy guitar. The lights brightened, and Fall Out Boy appeared.

Am I more than you bargained for yet

I've been dying to tell you anything you want to hear

Cause that's just who I am this week

Lie in the grass, next to the mausoleum

I'm just a notch in your bedpost

But you're just a line in a song

(A notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song)

It didn't surprise him, Lucas knew that Peyton was going to pull something big, and after all these years, she could still pull it all off. He beat his head to the beat, his drink in one hand. After he had sent the drink over to Brooke, he continued to make his way around, saying hey to people he knew, and avoiding the people that were looking at him like he killed somebody. He stood there in the middle of the crowd, and for the first time that night, he felt content, and a little sense of deja vu. Memories were coming back, and Lucas had the perfect and familiar view.

Brooke was standing a little ways in front of him, with only a couple of people behind her. It was then he remembered watching her from this particular view. She had turned around and felt him looking at her. Lucas just gave her a small smile, her face uncomfortable and thoughtful at the same time, and it was then that Lucas knew that Brooke Davis was falling apart.

He continued to watch her. She wasn't really dancing, but she wasn't stoic either. Her head also moved to the beat, her hands tucked in her back pockets of her white jean skirt. Her hair was shiny with different colored tints in it, and Lucas could catch little scents of her perfume all around him. It was hard to believe that he was right there behind her. It wasn't that long ago where Lucas thought he would never see her again.

Lucas' heart raced as her head turned to the side, she knew somebody was watching her. That had to be uncomfortable and awkward, but Lucas didn't care. If she would just look at him tonight, he would feel a little bit better. Everyone around them were dancing, drinking, and having fun. No teenagers were around, as this was an adult opening night. Lucas knew that Brooke had to have been drinking, so he decided he wouldn't hold it against her, whatever she did.

She knew he was watching, it was kind of hard not to. His ocean eyes always found a way of washing over her, no matter which way she was turned. Her first instinct was to avoid it, and act like she didn't feel anything at all. But first instincts don't always turn out to be right. What she really wanted to do would probably get her thrown out for erotic behavior, but that wasn't a good option either. Lucas continued to stare at her, and Brooke moved her head to the side, having in internal battle with herself. Gawd, he still had to have that same little smile.

Okay, so maybe she coudn't have helped it. But not only did she feel a lot more relieved to be looking at him, and him actually looking at her, but she felt like she was back in high school, with Lucas fighting for her love, and Brooke pulling out all the stops to make sure that she didn't drown in his eyes. This time, she planned on doing the exact same thing, only difference was, she wouldn't crumble. Brooke stared him up and down, taking in his appearance. She had to admit, he dressed well, not that he ever had a problem with that before. But she turned back around, now staring at the bright lights that shone onto the stage. She did not want to spend the rest of the night meeting his eyes out of nowhere.

On the side of the stage she saw Nathan and Haley talking to Peyton frantically, and if things were different, Brooke would be over there too. Instead, she was in the crowd, trying to avoid that nagging feeling of Lucas watching her every movement. Not only did it make her feel uncomfortable, it made her mad at the same time, even though she didn't show it. Brooke didn't know if it was the fact that he was actually watching her after she told him to never try to get her back, or because maybe, in some way, she was glad that he was still watching her.

"I need another drink."

"Back for more, are you?" Owen smirked. He was just watching the band performing until he saw a familiar brunette approaching the bar witha determined look on her face. He knew that look. Hell, he saw that look at least a dozen times a night. Normally he wouldn't be this involved in somebody's business, but he knew who this girl was, and he knew her history. It was the talk of the town, and Brooke Davis' name had been one of the first he had heard of when he first moved to the little town of Tree Hill. The second name, Lucas Scott. There was no doubt that this girl was troubled, and it was something that alcohol would definitely not make her forget.

"Whatever Owen, just get me another drink," Brooke grumbled, sitting down abruptly at a barstool. "Is this 'harass Brooke night' or something?"

"I'm not harassing you, I just asked a simple question. What will you be drinking anyway?"

"Ugh, I don't even know. Surprise me," Brooke said sarcastically. Right now it didn't really matter, she just needed something.

Owen looked at her, wondering what the hell happened for her to want to drink more, again for that matter. This girl was definitely interesting, and it was weird that he found himself pouring Coke into a glass and setting it on top of a napkin in front of her.

"What is this?" Brooke asked, looking down into the glass.

"A surprise," Owen shrugged before walking down the bar to assist another person. Brooke took the glass and took a big gulp. The carbonated soda burned her throat, and she became even more annoyed. Why was everyone trying to make her do things she didn't want to do, control whatever she did. She didn't even really know this Owen guy, and as far as she knew, he was just a bartender.

"Owen! Why don't you fix me an actual drink," Brooke demanded, sliding her Coke away from her. Owen came back over and got a bottle from under the bar, he poured a little of it into the glass and slid it back towards her.

"There, Coke and rum. Enjoy," he said before going over to the other side again. Brooke sighed harshly, at least there as alcohol in it.

"Well doesn't this give me memories," a voice said beside her. Brooke turned around to see Jake sitting next to her with a beer bottle in hand.

"Jake, Jake, Jake, what? Are you here to control me tonight too?"

He narrowed his eyes, "Uhm no? I'm just here for opening night Brooke. But while I'm here, what's the problem?"

Brooke chuckled, "There's no problem. I'm just a little bit irked tonight if you know what I mean. What with my boyfriend out of town and my ex boyfriend watching my every move. And then there's the fact that I spilled my guts to a bartender that I don't even know, my night's going just great thanks."

"You forgot the fact that you look absolutely amazing, and that you're here with friends, and that this night should be fun, not miserable," Jake explained.

"Why do you just know all the right things to say? I mean, I do look good, I have to admit," Brooke said, smirking slightly.

"Now you admit it!" Jake exclaimed. "Now, what do you say we break it down on the dance floor?"

Brooke snorted, "Never in your life ever say that to me again."

"Ugh whatever Brooke. I was just trying to lighten the mood. So, why isnt your boyfriend here anyway?"

She rolled her eyes, "At some stupid meeting in New York. He was supposed to have cleared his schedule the whole time he was visiting, but it was an emergency."

"If it was an emergency, then why are you so pissed about it?" Jake asked.

"It's not really because of the meeting, it's the fact that we got in a little fight about Lucas earlier when he was fixing to leave," Brooke explained.

Jake looked at her, "Okay, you guys seriously had a fight about Lucas?"

"Not so much, but I know he was the main reason. Like out of nowhere, Brian thinks that I'm using him or something because of Lucas."

"What makes him think that?" Jake asked, taking a swig of his beer. Jake knew, just like everybody else, that Lucas played a big part in Brooke and Brian's relationship. Whether or not Brooke knew it, as long as Brooke and Lucas weren't together, Lucas would always continue to be a problem. But he would never point that out to her, in fear for his life.

"I don't even know, it came literally out of nowhere," Brooke said. "I'm just so tired of everyone trying to push me and Lucas together, when I'm trying to move on. It's like they don't get how hurt I was by him, and now they try to fix me and him back together when I'm with someone. Sometimes I question my friendships with all of them."

"Look at it this way, do you really think Haley would say anything or try to persuade you to do anything if she didn't think it was the best thing? I mean, it's Haley we're talking about."

"Yeah, but this is also Hormonal Haley," Brooke pointed out.

Jake nodded, "True. But there's got to be the same Haley within Hormonal Haley."

"I just wish there wasn't."

It would be an understatement to know that this just wasn't Mouth's thing. Sure, he could spin the turntables with the best of them, and the lighting and set up couldn't be more perfect as long as he was arranging it, but other than that, he didn't belong in this place. Right from the very beginning, Mouth knew that he just could not drink or party with the best of them. He had yet to see Brooke since she had been back in town, but it wasn't by choice. Life had slapped him in the face, and now when he wasn't hanging out with the guys, he was working and when he wasn't working, he was with the wife and kids. Gigi being the amazing wife that she was, had made him come out to Tric tonight. She didn't really have a tie to this place, since she only just moved in her sopohmore year. So she kicked him out the door with a baby on her hip, demanding he have a good time.

He had to say, nothing had really changed. Peyton was running around the club, making sure everything was going alright, and it was, seeing as she got Fall Out Boy to perform. Nathan and Haley were of course, together and happy. Skills, Junk, and Fergie were hanging around with a beer bottle in their hands, probably talking about something completely stupid and utter non sense, and Brooke was over at the bar, drinking herself into a stupor with Lucas watching her like a hawk from within the crowd. It really did remind Mouth who they all were. And there was nothing like returning to your hometown to bring back who you used to be. Sometimes it was a good thing, and other times it wasn't.

Making his way into the crowd, he ran into a lot of people that he used to know or had seen around town. Things in Tree Hill had definitely changed since he had been in high school. There were new people and old people. Mouth only hoped that things wouldn't get too out of hand tonight.

"What will you have, man?" the bartender asked him as he approached the bar.

"Uhm, just give me a bourbon," Mouth said, pulling out his wallet. He still had to drive home after all. He looked across the bar and not only saw Brooke, but Jake as well. In a way he was a bit relieved, knowing that Jake was around instead of Lucas. No offense to him, but Lucas was more likely to make Brooke get pissed drunk than Jake.

"Here you go," the bartender said, sliding the drink over to Mouth. He handed Owen the bill and took a gulp. From afar he saw Jake shake his head, probably in disappointment or form some absurd comment that Brooke had just made. Jake turned away and saw Mouth watching them. He smiled and waved, calling Mouth over.

"Hey Jake, what's going on?" Mouth asked, approaching the two. Brooke looked over at the person who had went up to them, and her eyes widened at the sight of Mouth.

"Marvin McFadden!" Brooke exclaimed, throwing her arms around Mouth. He smiled, knowing that Brooke hadn't changed.

"Brooke Davis! How are you?" he asked.

"Uh, alright I guess. Haley told me about you and Gigi, and the baby! Congratulations!" Brooke said, and she meant it. She might have been slightly tipsy, but never the less she was happy for Mouth. Of course, things didn't turn out as she had hoped for concerning the time capsule, but he was freaking married with a baby!

"Thanks, that means a lot. While you're in Tree Hill, we should have dinner sometime," Mouth suggested.

Brooke nodded, "For sure! Man, this night just keeps on getting interesting."

"That seems to be the phrase for the night," Jake added. "I was just telling Brooke that we should go out there and show them, but you were always the better dancer."

"Yeah Mouth, let's go!" Brooke said excitedly. Mouth laughed at the sight of her. It couldn't hurt, right? He hadn't broken it down in awhile, and people might have forgotten.

"What the hell? Come on," he said, holding his hand out for her to take. "Something tells me I'm going to have to hold you up for some time tonight."

"You know me so well," Brooke smirked, taking his hand as they went farther into the crowd. Jake just watched them disappear, smiling and laughing at the same time. He knew this was going to end on an interesting note, that was for sure. He continued to sit there, emptying his beer bottle and checking his phone, wondering if Jenny was going to call and beg him to come home. But he knew that she was getting older, and it occurred to him that she might not miss him at all.

"Is this stool taken?" a voice said from beside him. Jake turned around and saw Peyton standing there, how she got through the crowd he did not know.

"It is now," he smiled as Peyton sat down next to him. Neither said anything, Jake not really knowing what to say, and Peyton having just a little too much she wanted to voice.

"You did a great job tonight, you should be proud," Jake complimented, and he had meant it. Tric looked great, and it was definitely an upbeat in the foggy town.

Peyton smiled, "Thanks, I thought that I needed to do something like this. Tree Hill's been a drag ever since we all left for college."

Jake nodded, "Yeah, and what with the whole gang back, the town's definitely been a lot brighter these days. I still can't believe you got Fall Out Boy here. They've only been here once right?"

"Yeah, for the costume party and then the benefit concert. I'm surprised they decided to come myself."

"That's for sure, there's not many bands these days that will go to small towns, but if I remember correctly you had a thing with, what's his name? Pete?" Jake teased.

Peyton smirked, "Ugh I don't want to talk about that. It was a little crush, but if I remember correctly, I ditched his concert to see you and Jenny."

Jake sombered up. He did not want to talk about the past, so maybe it was his fault for even mentioning the whole thing. Him and Peyton's relationship was, complicated, and he didn't want to rehash old issues and memories, because in the end it would always make him wonder what if, and Jake couldn't do that.

"Uh yeah," Jake said, clearing his throat. "Okay, well, I'm going to go and see what Skills is up to."

Peyton frowned, "Oh, okay, well have fun." Jake smiled quickly before disappearing into the crowd. Peyton slumped around in her stool, mentally kicking herself in even thinking about mentioning all that. If it was any other ex couple, in any other situation, it wouldn't have been that weird to talk about, but this wasn't any other relationship. It ended weirdly, that was for sure, and it was obvious that Jake was still hurt by the fact that Peyton had a relationship with Lucas shortly after he left. Most people would have already moved on and was probably on the forgiving side, but it was a touchy subject that neither had talked about, and didn't really want to discuss it.

"Well, you must have said something to chase him away," Lucas said, sitting down next to her with a beer in his hand.

Peyton glared at him, "Wow, you're just full of encouragement, aren't you? And if I remember correctly, I don't see you talking to Brooke."

"Yeah? Well it's kind of hard to do that when she's on the dance floor breaking it down with Mouth," Lucas said, looking over his shoulder to see Brooke and Mouth in step together. Brooke was laughing while Mouth was showing off his old moves. People were all around them clapping and trying to dance along with them, but they were their own entertainment, like it had always been.

"Like you aren't enjoying it," Peyton pointed out. Lucas looked at her, but didn't say anything because he knew she was right. Brooke looked absolutely incredible, and the swing of her hips and movement did not help him any. She wore a perfect smirk on her face, and every once in awhile she would laugh along with Mouth, and he didn't want her to stop.

"Whatever, so, are you going to tell me what happened?" Lucas asked.

"Why should I tell you anything about my conversation with Jake?" Peyton asked back.

Lucas shrugged, "Whatever, I already know what it was about anyway. You probably mentioned something about the past, when you guys were still together, or at least friends."

Peyton sighed, there was no point in arguing with that, "Yeah, something like that. It's like, whenever we see each other, all we remember is how we ended."

"You should try to talk to him. Jake's trying to move on, but he's still hurt by what we did to him, and to Brooke," Lucas pointed out.

"I know we need to talk, because let's face it, we have a lot to talk about, but I don't even know where to start, or if he's even willing to talk to me."

Lucas smiled, "Peyton come on, this is Jake we're talking about. He might still be hurt, but he's not an ass."

She nodded, "Yeah I know. That's kind of your job."

"Haha thanks," Lucas said dryly. He glanced behind him again, Brooke was still dancing with Mouth when she raised her head and her eyes scanned straight towards him. Lucas smirked at her, knowing this it would most likely piss her off. She glared fiercely before snapping her head in the other direction, continuing to dance with Mouth. Lucas shook his head before returning his head to the bar, and to a smirking Peyton.

"You guys sure are something," Peyton chuckled, waving Owen over to the bar.

"What do you need Peyton?" Owen asked, his hands on the bar.

"Just give me a beer," she answered, slipping off of the barstool.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked. Owen popped open a beer and slid it over to Peyton, who grabbed it and took a swig.

"Backstage, I haven't had a chance to really talk to the guys," Peyton explained, meaning Fall Out Boy. "Plus, you need to talk to Brooke sometime, and I'm just in the way."

Lucas smirked, "Aren't you always?"

Peyton snorted, "Very funny Lucas. I'll see you later."

Owen surveyed the two while wiping down the counter for probably the hundredth time that night. Now that he was there, he noticed the blonde who had sent the drink to Brooke Davis when the night first started. Lucas Scott was married to Peyton, right?"

"That your wife?" Owen asked. Lucas turned and looked at him.

"Uhm, yeah, she is," Lucas answered awkwardly. He hated when people asked him that. Hypothetically, yes, she was his wife, but they were barely in a marriage.

"Listen, I know it's none of my business, but if you're married to Peyton, then why did you send a drink over to that brunette earlier?" he asked.

Lucas looked at him, "Uhm, it's a long story, man. To put it briefly, me and Peyton are anything but a couple."

"And you and Brooke?" Owen pushed.

"How do you know Brooke?"

Owen shrugged, "She's here tonight, isn't she? Plus, she's kind of the talk of the town, along with you, Lucas Scott. And she's definitely been tipping a few."

"So if me and Brooke are the talk of the town, then how could you not know about my relationship with Peyton?" Lucas asked.

Owen chuckled, "Man, it's not like I haven't heard about your relationship with Peyton. I know plenty about it, but I didn't think it was actually true. I mean, no offense, but it's kind of hard to believe. And I just moved here like, two months ago."

Lucas laughed with him, "Yeah, now that I think about it, I can see why you would be hesitant to believe that. I guess if you're not from here, it takes a lot to wrap your head around."

"Definitely," Owen nodded. "So let me get this straight: you're married to Peyton, but you're chasing after Brooke?"

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, basically."

"And Peyton's alright with you going after her ex best friend?" Owen asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. I mean, me and Peyton used to go out, but we realized a little too late that we just weren't meant to be, and Peyt's really supportive of me trying to get back together with Brooke."

"I can see that. It seems like she's the one that wants you guys to get back together. What's going to happen to her?"

Lucas shrugged, "I don't know. We'll probably get a divorce. Peyton deserved something more than I could have ever gave her."

Owen nodded, "I'm not usually this nosey, but this town is hard as hell to figure out."

Lucas laughed, "I know it. But I don't blame you for wanting to ask questions. I've lived here my whole life and I still don't get how this place works. There's so much shit that happens, and you cannot figure out for the life of you how the hell it all happened."

"So," Owen began, sliding another beer to Lucas, "what's your game plan?"

Lucas groaned, "Wow, I've heard that way too many times tonight."

"Well, you need one if you want to get Brooke Davis back. I'm just a bartender, and it was even hard for me to convince her to go easy on the alcohol."

"Yeah, well Brooke only does what she wants, and if you try to tell her what to do, she goes anal on you, which is the main reason why I don't have a game plan."

"Nothing?" Owen asked.

"Nothing," Lucas repeated.

Owen chuckled, "Damn, well you definitely have some work to do."

Lucas smiled sadly before taking a ling gulp from the bottle. He looked at Owen. He looked like he knew a thing or two about women, and he had definitley had a conversation with Brooke tonight, maybe Owen could be of some use to him. "You got any ideas?"

Owen smirked, "Well, it doesn't take rocket science to know that you guys definitely have that physical attration going on. I swear she wanted to jump your bones when FOB first came out."

Lucas raised his eyebrows, "Really?" He found it hard to imagine Brooke wanting anything to do with him, much less 'jump his bones,' but something told him that Owen was being straight.

"Dude, I wouldn't be kidding if I didn't think it was true. You guys for sexual tension so thick you can't even see the other side."

"So you're advice would be what?"

Owen shrugged, "Play into that. You already know that Brooke still finds some attraction to you, and I don't even got to ask you, I mean, look at her." He walked towards the other end of the bar, leaving Lucas to wonder. Play into that.

"Brooke, I don't think I can go on any longer," Mouth laughed as he and Brooke made their way over to a table. It was really fun out there dancing with Brooke, it made him realize that maybe things could go back to the way they used to be. Maybe. But he knew one thing, with Brooke around, Tree Hill would never be gloomy.

The night wasn't even over and everybody was already starting to get way into the fact that there wasn't a care in the world, at least for tonight that is. Everyone was dancing and having fun. Drinking was a necessity, or else you were just wasting your time in Tric. The crowd was so thick that you couldn't catch your breath once you got started. It was hard to imagine that everybody here had jobs and possibly families, because from where they were now, they were just mere young adults trying to find something to believe in, or for just a fun night.

"Oh come on Mouth! You know you want to go back out there," Brooke exclaimed, running her hands through her hair. It had taken her mind away from Lucas and his hotness, but in some way it made her yearning even more for another drink. Or maybe for something else.

"You go on without me. It can't be that hard to find someone else to take my place," Mouth pointed out.

Brooke smiled at him, "You just might be right. But this won't be our last dance together, Marvin. I'm going to go get a drink. You want anything?"

Mouth shook his head, "No, I'm good. I'm driving home tonight. You go, maybe find some other hopeless guy."

"I plan on it. See you later," she said, giving him a wink before making her way over to the bar. Only she didn't know that Lucas was at the bar also, letting Owen's advice soak.

She sighed miserably when she saw his back, sliding his beer bottle in between his hands. Maybe if she was discreet and sneaky, he wouldn't see her. Yeah, right. That would never work. Plus, she was pretty sure Owen would do something to piss her off and yell at him, and NO ONE could miss Brooke's raspy voice, even if you were in a club with a lot of people.

"Okay, we have got to stop meeting like this," Owen said, smirking.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Whatever Mr. Bartender, just give me something." She leaned across the bar towards Owen with Lucas next to her. He continued to stare at her, and Brooke continued to act like she had no idea he was there. All she wanted to do was get her drink and leave, without confrontation with Lucas. But we all know that isn't possible.

"What will it be?" he asked, watching the proverbial elephant that remained near Brooke and Lucas.

Brooke shrugged, "Just give me a Bloody Mary." Owen nodded before going to work. Brooke stood there with one hand on her hip, her right hand tapping the bar lightly. The music was beating throughout her body, and she had an urge to just bust out. She knew Lucas was still watching her, unfortunately. Brooke knew that she wasn't going to talk to Lucas, and that left her to wonder if he was going to talk to her, or just undress her with his eyes. It sounded weird and uncomfortable, but for some reason, Brooke didn't seem to really care.

"You know you look beautiful, right?" he finally asked.

Brooke looked at him, "Whatever happened to you not talking to me?"

Lucas shrugged, "Well if you didn't look so damn good then we wouldn't be in this predicament, now would we?"

"Lucas, I always look good, you should've known that by now," she said in her bitchy tone. You don't look so bad yourself.

He nodded, "Yeah I do. So, where's your arm candy?"

Brooke glared at him, "Not that it's any of your business, but he had an emergency meeting and had to fly to NY for the night."

Lucas chuckled, "If it was none of my business, then why did you tell me?"

Owen returned with Brooke's drink and set it down in front of her. Brooke snatched it and turned to Lucas, "Because that would let you know that Brian and I are still together, so don't kill yourself or anything."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said dryly. He looked around the club, surveying the dance floor as Santana blasted the speakers. Brooke continued to sip her drink, still wondering why the hell her feet wouldn't let her walk away. She stayed planted on the spot, and she was pretty sure Lucas expected her to have walked away by now. But she couldn't, and Brooke couldn't figure out for the life of her why she couldn't.

Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,

It was love from above, like it saved me from hell,

She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see;

How the devil himself could be pulled out of me;

There were drums in the air as she started to dance,

Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands.

"Hey," Lucas called, getting her attention. "I know we haven't done this in awhile, but how about a dance?"

Brooke snorted, "Me? Dance with you? Lucas, what kind of trick are you trying to pull?" This couldn't have been good.

He shrugged, "There's no trick, Brooke. I want to dance with you, and I know you want to dance with me too. Come on, for old time's sake?" He held his hand out.

Brooke stared at his hand. In her mind, there was a very narrow choice of two things that could happen. One, they could dance and the whole time Brooke would feel all awkward and distant from Lucas, and that just wouldn't be considered dancing. Or two. She would let herself get so into it and she got turned on by Lucas' sweat mixed with her own. Both were very real possibilities, but she couldn't restrain herself from downing the rest her drink and taking his hand.

Lucas smirked. Finally! He got a chance to talk and possibly connect with Brooke. Although she looked a bit hesitant, and kind of confused, Lucas was sure that deep down, she really did want to dance with him, and be with him. He just had to reassure that. Screw Brian and the rest of the town that was at Tric tonight.

"I swear to you Lucas if this is just some weird com on," Brooke trailed as she followed Lucas into the middle of the crowd.

Lucas spun around and stared deep into her, "It's not a come on Brooke. And I told you, I'm for real this time."

Brooke chuckled, "I"ve heard that before." He grabbed her left hand in his right one and his other hand gribbed her waist intensely. At first she was surprised, but it was only a couple of second later when she realized what he was trying to do. But she didn't care, just like everything else that night, she didn't care. Brooke clapped her hand on his shoulder as they moved to the beat. It was pretty surreal how long it's been since they've seen each other, but yet it was like neither of them had spent a day apart.

Lucas spun her around and pulled her closer to him. Brooke smirked, the feeling of being handled making her want to giggle, especially from Lucas. In the corner of her eye she saw a couple of people watching them, and she was willing to bet her life that the news of Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis dancing closely at Tric Friday night would be headline news, and nobody even had to print it in the newspaper.

"You know people are going to talk, right?" Brooke asked, suddenly remembering Brian. He would definitely hear about this when he got back.

"So? Everyone already knows how we feel about each other," he stated simply.

Brooke looked at him so their noses were almost touching, "How we feel each other? Lucas I'm just doing you a favor, so maybe you'll go away."

Lucas chuckled, "God Brooke when are you going to give it up? I mean, really? You've been playing this game ever since you got here, acting like you don't care."

"And I don't Lucas, I thought I made that pretty clear to you the minute I laid my eyes on you when I got here. You told me to go, and that you didn't want to see me, so I went, and frankly I shouldn't feel any remorse or guilt for that because that's what you wanted, wasn't it? You wanted me to leave so that you could hop between the sheets with Peyton."

He grabbed her waist tightly, knowing in the back of his mind that he might be hurting her, but at the same time wanting her to know how much she was hurting him. There were tons of emotions and things he wanted to say, or more like scream at her, but he couldn't do it here, in front of other people that would certainly mentally remember their whole conversation to share at the book club the next day. So, he did the only thing he thought of, he let go of her waist and the grab her arm, dragging her throughout the club and all the way back to the storage room. Yes, it looked really weird and could give anyone a number of ideas, but Lucas had to make her see, even if he had to force it on her.

"Lucas, what the fuck do you think you're doing, dragging me back here like that. Did you fail to fucking notice the fact that everyone in this club could've seen what you just did??"

"Oh please Brooke, everyone's either too drunk or too busy to notice that we're in here," he said pulling the little string to illuminate a small glow in between them. "Now, are you going to listen to what I have to fucking tell you, or are you going to stand here like a little brat and let everything I say go in one ear and out the other?"

She smirked, "You just know me so well, Lucas Scott. So I'm guessing you can imagine what my answer is. You can explain and explain and explain untli you have a heart attack, but sooner or later you're going to realize that you just have to let this whole thing go. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner we can all go on with our lives."

"And you just know me so well, Brooke Davis. Now tell me, you've known me for a long time, and you should know that I never give up, not when it comes to you. So I suggest you stand here and listen to what I have to say, or else you're going to walk out of here angry and sad, and missing me. And we wouldn't want that wouldn't we?"

Brooke looked at him, "When it comes to me? In case you forgot Lucas, I just told you out there that you let me go, and you sure as hell didn't fight for me or try to find me, so what the hell does that say about your whole 'fight for me' mentality? It says that you're a dick and that I obviously wasn't important enough for you to even try to call me or see me."

He clasped his hands on her shoulders and lowered his head to her level, "What in God's fucking green earth do I have to do to prove to you that I love you? Damn't Brooke, I love you with all my heart, but what we're doing right now? This is completely and utter BULLSHIT! If you would just accept the fact that we're not over each other, that would be great."

"Why the hell should I listen to anything you have to say? It's all a bunch of crap with you Lucas. You mean it at the time, but when it comes with backing it up and following through, you can't do fucking shit! You are completely worthless in situations like this. So no, I'm not going to accept that fact, because you're going to forget all about it the minute you walk out of here tonight."

Lucas let go of her shoulders and grasped at his hair, feeling like any minute he was going to just lose his nerve and go crazy. He sighed, shutting his eyes, "Okay, I'm trying so hard right now to keep my fucking composure so that I can possibly get all this out. But I've come to the conclusion that I'm doing nothing wrong. You are."

Brooke laughed, "Oh okay Lucas, I'm so in the wrong about wanting to be with you. First of all, we're both pretty drunk right now, so we will not remember this tomorrow morning. Second of all, we've been down this fucking road over and over again and it's beginning to get a little old with me. Why couldn't you just let this go and be with Peyton? Huh? Why in the world did you have to walk around this town like a little bitch and sabotage anything and everything that gets in your way? And you say I'm the one that's wrong?"

She looked at him, notice that huge vein pulsing out of his neck, and the fact that it had gotten extremely hot in the enclosed room. His eyes were about to bulge out of his head, and his hair was sticking up in all places like it used to. He was a hot mess, but she couldn't help but want to run her hands over him. Or strangle him until those blue eyes popped out.

"Yes, you are wrong, Brooke. Now I'm not saying that I didn't do anything wrong. I should be burning in hell right now with everything I've done. But I'm doing something now that's right for the first time in a long time. I should have never let you go, and I don't know how long I'm going to have to say this, but I will for however long it takes. Brooke, I want to be with you so much that it makes my heart hurt right now standing this close to you and not having you. Now, you seriously can't say that you don't feel the same way."

Brooke stared at him, wishing she could crawl under a rock and just die. "Lucas, I could say that. I could say a lot of things right now, but it doesn't change the fact that too much has happened. We've both changed, in more ways than one, and we're in different areas in our lives. Then there's the fact that we both have other people in our lives, and we can't do that to them."

"Yeah, like Peyton means anything to me. Brooke, you know that we're not really married like that."

"Really? Then why the hell are you still married to her if you're not really 'like that'?" Brooke asked, crossing her arms.

Lucas sighed, hitting the back of his head with the storage room door. "Well it's not like that won't happen. Look, me and Peyton tried, we really did, and there's nothing for us anymore. I don't even think we had anything, which makes me hate myself even more because I just wasted year I could have spent with you. She's already filed for divorce."

"Okay, but what about Brian? What about him? He doesn't even know the half of the story, only what I've told him," Brooke answered.

He smiled, "But he doesn't mean anything Brooke, you know he doesn't."

"Lucas, have you not been paying attention? Brian's my boyfriend, he's in my life, and he loves me. That's enough."

"Is it?" he asked, tilting his head. "Is it really enough to know that you're with someone that's just safe? You're settling for him, when you know Brian's not really who you want in the end. He might love you Brooke, but could you ever love him like you love me?"

She smirked, "That's a little too overconfident for you, isn't it?"

"Like you said, we've both changed, and at this point I've never been more sure that you love me more than anything in this world right now." The dimmed light reflected on her face, and Lucas had never seen Brooke Davis so raw and fresh like he did right now. He didn't hear it, or even acknowledge it, but he could see small rivers of tears that streamed down her face and rested on her chin, threatening to fall onto the bare floor. But Lucas could never think she could look like a mess, no matter how many tears she cried.

It was an internal struggle, and Brooke had never fought so hard in her life to be the one that was right. She wanted to be right in believing that her and Lucas were just a lost cause, and that they had nothing left except hatred for each other. Sometimes she was true to herself, but not tonight. It was hard to think when you were drunk off your ass. Brooke needed to be right in knowing that her and Lucas weren't meant to be anymore. She had to be, and if she wasn't, she didn't know what she would do.

She backed up and lifted herself onto a stack of boxes, sitting on her hands. "What if I told you, that I know what you're saying? What if I told you that I can't kiss my own boyfriend without thinking about kissing you? What if I told you that whenever I fall asleep at night, it takes me hours because I'm thinking about what you're doing? And what if I told you that whenever I see you, I can't help but think about what would've happened if I had just stayed with you like you asked."

Brooke wiped stray tears as Lucas watched her in amazement, and feeling suddenly like he could do just about anything. She didn't exactly say the words, but she didn't have to, Lucas knew that she still loved him, and she had already admitted it. It was under the weirdest circumstances, them yelling at each other just moments before in a storage room at the re opening of Tric, but it could not have gone any other way. He began to walk towards her, his hands almost touching both her cheeks. Her hands met his also, and held onto them as he held her face. Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead on hers, and he almost actually kissed her, before she pulled away slightly and smiled sadly.

"But do you know what else I think about? I think about Brian, and how much I'm hurting on him, and he doesn't even know it. He thinks that we're in the most perfect relationship ever, that we're meant to be together for all of eternity. But I've cheated on him, Luke. Not physically, but emotionally I have cheated on him, and he doesn't know that either. I can't be that kind of person Lucas, I can't be that girl again. And I can't hurt Brian, he doesn't deserve that heartache and pain."

Lucas sighed, this was what he was afraid of. He should've really known from the start, actually. She always did this. Whenever she finally knew what she wanted, and was actually open about it, you thought you were so close to actually having a breakthrough, but then she has to go and fall back. Or maybe fly to California.

"Why should you have to hurt yourself so someone else doesn't get hurt. Brooke, you say that Brian really loves you, and if you really believe that, then he would let you go. You shouldn't feel bad about cheating on him, at least not in that way. You're not that kind of girl, Brooke, you never were. The heart wants what the heart wants, believe me, I know. I've been trying to deny that fact for the past five years, and it hasn't gotten me anywhere."

Brooke shook her head, "It still doesn't change anything Lucas. I can't go back to that girl I was before. You hurt me so bad, and for some odd reason, I still want to be with you. But then the other half of me just wants to slit my wrists and put me out of my misery because I can't think of you without remembering what you and Peyton did to me. How am I supposed to handle that?"

"You have to learn to trust me again. Brooke, there's nothing I could say that could explain to you how sorry I am for hurting you. But you and I both know that me and Peyton have nothing together, and there's nothing standing in our way right now. Do you realize how great this could be? Me and you back together, Broody and Cheery. There's nothing that we couldn't do, and the best part is that we'd be happy."

Something inside of her just completely snapped. She was brought back to reality, and when Brooke really thought about it, Lucas was right. If she could just learn to trust him again, she could have the world. Money, power, and someone that loved and wanted her. Easier said than done though. First off, Lucas had this tendency to completely forget about everything else in the world when it came to convincing Brooke to do something, especially be with him. There were too many hearts involved, and things just were not the same in Lucas' mind.

She laughed slightly, "Lucas, you know we can't." This was completely a bad idea, and it wasn't fair to Lucas. Apparently she said or did something that had convinced him that they actually had a chance again. The dumbass, he should've known that she CAN'T go there. She had said it a hundred times, but it wouldn't get through his head. It was kind of funny in some twisted and unfortunate way, but Brooke couldn't help but want to laugh at how ironic and weird this whole situation was.

Brooke jumped off from the boxes and brushed past him, her focuse all on getting out of there. Lucas turned around, completely pissed and confused. He could not believe this was happening again. She could not get away this time, not without something to take with her. He grabbed her arm for about the third time that night, she swung around to face him. She looked mad and scared, but somewhere in her eyes, Lucas saw a sparkle or a glint, and it made him even madder. He didn't know if Brooke was trying to play a game with him, but he wasn't ging to let her get away like this.

Before either could even think, he ran his lips over hers before kissing her. It felt so long since he had last felt his lips on hers, so long that he wasn't really sure what to do. She continued to stand there, not even really reacting to his kiss. Lucas didn't know why though; she could've been just really shocked and surprised, because Lucas knew that she wanted to kiss him back. It was only moments later until she finally reacted, reciprocating from the kiss. His hands were now on both sides of her face, the faint music suddenly becoming isolated from what was going on in the storage room.

Even before Lucas even kissed her, Brooke knew that this wasn't going to end good. Sure, it would feel great for a couple of minutes, but in the end, what was she going to do? Brooke was convinced that she wasn't going to kiss him back, but when the avoidance became too much to bare, she decided that she was going to milk this thing for all it was worth. And with Lucas' lips on hers, it was worth tons. His hands roamed her body while her hands held onto his neck, fearing she would fall if she let go.

He pulled away for a moment to look at her, potent desire swirling in his eyes, "I've wanted to do that for so long."

Brooke smirked her Brooke Davis smirk, her dimples teasing him, "Then what are you waiting for?" Okay, it sounded stupid in her head, but actually saying it made her believe it, or maybe not hide it so much. Brooke knew she wanted Lucas, in just about every way there was possible. He just grinned before kissing her again, neither of them paying attention to anything else.

Lucas had her backed up against the shelves, he didn't even wonder if her back was killing her. But he just assumed it did. He had grabbed her right leg which had rested around his waist, pressing him closer to her. At first Brooke did it because she was angry that he knew she wanted him. But now, she did it because she wanted to. Not good.

He knew it wouldn't last. Lucas wasn't an idiot, and he hadn't forgotten the times he had with Brooke. He had known her for a long time, and sometimes he thought he had her all figured out, but she would say or do something to completely throw him off. Even now, he still didn't have her all figured out, but this he knew for sure. Brooke Davis pulled away as soon as she went in. Lucas knew he might possibly never be able to do this again, because Brooke was Brooke, and Brooke would pull away and start thinking about everyone else besides herself, which she had always been. It wasn't right, but he couldn't point it out to her.

Okay, this was so wrong, in just about every single way possibly known to man, but Brooke couldn't help but know that it actually felt RIGHT, and that was not a good thing. She knew in her heart that it would eventually end, and she would have to re enter what was known as her life, but if she could just stay like that for a moment, it would be instilled in her memory, and Brooke would hold onto it for however long she wanted to. That would be the right, but so wrong thing to do. The wrong, but so right thing to do would be to storm out of that storage room and run back to Naley's house, pack her bags, and get out of Tree Hill and back to New York that night.

There were only two reasons why she couldn't do them, in which case she wouldn't. One, Tutorgirl would beat her ass if she missed the birth of her own godson. Brooke would never be able to live it down. Secondly, she knew firsthand that running away from your problems doesn't help. If anything it increased the pressure, and it was soon all you thought about. Her head and her heart were telling her two things, and it was the battle of the strongest things within her body. But listening to her heart only got her downhill, so hello Brain.

The forcefulness was gone and replaced with gentleness. His hands had left her face and went around her shoulders and back, wanting her as close as possible. Her hands were clinging to his arms, not wanting to let go of that moment. The urgency of it could not be felt, and time somewhat stood still. Brooke knew in her heart that she still missed him, god she missed him. She didn't want to let him go, and she didn't want to be with someone that she couldn't fully give her heart too. Lucas still had it, and she actually didn't want him to let it go.

He felt fresh wet tears pour slowly down her face, and his heart burned. Lucas hated seeing Brooke cry, even if it was because she finally knew what she wanted. Time was running out, and Lucas knew within a few second, the moment would be over, and he would be left to brood about the brunette that he wouldn't let go of. She felt so fragile in his arms, and he now felt connected to the internal struggle she was going through, and he didn't like it. He hated that she was so torn between things, but he could never unlove Brooke Davis.

She was the first to pull away, but their faces lingered on each other's. Lucas brought his hands to her face, wiping the tears away with his thumb. Like always, he was always the one to wipe away the tears he made fall. Lucas didn't know if they were good or bad tears, but she looked sad in almost a happy way, and he knew she had pulled away, again.

Pressing his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes miserably, "Please come back to me," he whispered.

As she surveyed the now empty scene in front of her, Peyton sighed in accomplishment. Sawyer was getting her groove back, and she completely rocked the re opening of Tric. The club was now filled with the occasional shoe and other lost things, but that was to be sort out later. Everyone that she had talked to applauded her at the success, and had asked her when was the next time they were going to be open. It completely uprooted her spirits that she was too flabbergasted to even reply. It was a good night, at least for her.

All she had to do was glance at Lucas' face to know that things either went bad to good to bad, or just plain bad all the night through. Peyton wasn't going to force it until a little bit later, but seeing him leave the club early looking miserable and completely, broody. Sure, being all depressed was Lucas' thing, and Peyton's, but this was supposed to be the night when Lucas and Brooke would finally make some sort of connection, some sort of bond that would make Brooke see that she was fooling herself. That couldn't have happened, from the look on his face.

Everyone had left, and she stood on the stage and listened to the stillness of the club. Occasionally she would hear the clinking of glasses, caused by the voice of Owen, who was cleaning up the bar before heading home for the night. She had heard that the new attractive bartender had sparked some interest, and had been of some help to customers. She knew there was something about the older man that made her want to hire him, and if it wasn't his gorgeous face it was his ability to click with people instantly.

"Well that was some opening," a voice said from the side of her. Peyton whipped her head around to see Jake there, twirling his keys around his finger.

She smiled, "Yeah? Aw who am I kidding, it was pretty great wasn't it?"

"Yeah, Fall Out Boy was by far the coolest thing to happen to this town since we all graduated," Jake said, sitting down on the stage.

"End of an era," Peyton said, remembing their last year of high school. "Those were pretty good times, weren't they?"

Jake nodded, "Yeah, sometimes I thought it would never end, and other times I didn't want it to, but we all got to grow up sometime, huh?"

"Yeah, but in a way I'm kind of glad that a lot of bad things happened to us..."

"Wait, what?" Jake asked disbelievingly.

She rolled her eyes, "Not like that, believe me, I wish Ellie hadn't have died. But if we all hadn't have gone through all those things, how the hell were we supposed to handle life? I mean, even now it's unbearable to go through problems, but if we had went through a perfect high school life, we'd be dying right now trying to get through the days."

"I kind of see what you're getting at. But the school shooting is something I definitely wouldn't have missed," Jake said obviously.

"Same here. Man, I have to figure out when I'm going to open up next," she said, staring off into space.

"Another opening at Tric? Man, this town is going to be more and more interesting with this club open. Oh, and Brooke Davis running around town."

Peyton chuckled, "Yeah, Brooke being around here is a plus. For some reason it keeps all of us on our toes, and that's not such a bad thing."

"Definitely," Jake said, looking around. "Well I think I better get going, or else I'm going to have to overpay the babysitter, and I'm not completely made of money."

"Alright, so I'll see you around?" she asked.

Jake nodded, "Yeah, see you around." Peyton sighed at his retreating figure. This was probably one of the first times in a long time she had a regular conversation with Jake, without it being all weird and awkward. She wanted to get back to that, or at least find some sort of common ground.

"Pick your jaw up form off the floor Sawyer," Owen said, drying off a shotglass, not even looking up at her.

She narrowed her eyes, walking towards the bar, "If I remember correctly, I hired you, which means, I can do what?? Oh yeah, I can fire your ass too."

"Hey I was just giving you some advice," he chuckled, setting the glass upside down on the shelf. "You guys used to have a thing, right?"

"If you want to call it that," she shrugged. "He has a daughter, and one day while we were in college her mom decided to try to take Jenny. Fortunately, she didn't, but Jake had to take Jenny and leave before she tried coming after them again. One day he just left, I haven't seen him since, until a couple of weeks ago."

"Wow, that's some story, almost as crazy as Brooke's," he said.

Peyton looked at him, "Well aren't you just a little gossip girl. Do you know everyone's story around here now?"

Owen shrugged, "Well the epic romance of Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott looms over this town, so I hear things. Plus, she was knid of tipping a few tonight, so it didn't take a lot to get the inside scoop. I also had a little convo with Lucas also, so you can't even say I don't know what I'm talking about."

"Really? Are you sure you know the whole story?"

"Are you talking about the part where you're the reason why they ended in the first place?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow.

She glared at him, "Maybe, that could be what I'm talking about. But whatever, their story is all over Tree Hill, it's pretty hard to forget, so is Nathan and Haley's."

"Yeah but that's a happily ever after story," he said, brushing it off. "Now Brooke and Lucas, they're something that just never really ended, aren't they?"

Peyton nodded, "You got that right. It's never completely over when it concerns them two."

"I can tell. But, it's only a matter of time, and I think this town knows it too," he smirked, wiping down the counter for the millionth time that night.

"Of course they know, if they don't, then they're either deaf or hermits," she said. "But what the hell am I talking to you about this for?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

She looked at him, "Wait, what? You got a crush on B. Davis or something? You want to know if she's still emotionally connected to Lucas?"

Owen looked at her like she had grown two heads. Then he chuckled, "Look Peyton, I'm only human. Sure, Brooke's hot, but even I'm not dumb enough to get wrapped up into her world. And doens't she have like, two guys roaming around her or something? Plus, you guys are too young for me. I just like the art of good stories."

"If that's the case, then you've come to the right town Owen," Peyton smirked.

He smiled at her sarcastically, "Thanks, boss. But I don't know about this place. It seems a bit too crazy around here for me, what with ex lovers reconnecting, pregnant women in a nightclub, and all these ladies that walk around the supermarket talking about everybody."

Peyton chuckled, "Oh, you have no idea how crazy it can get. This is just the calm before the storm. Trust me, the shit will hit the fan within the next couple of weeks."

"I sense a bit of foreshadowing going on here. What? Do you already have the following events for the next couple of weeks?" Owen asked.

She shrugged, "I might as well. When you've been here as long as I have, you can pretty much figure out what's going to happen next. It's like a soap opera."

"Really? Then tell me, what do you expect to happen concerning Romeo and Juliet?" he asked.

Peyton smirked, "Oh that's obvious. Something's bound to happen, whether it be the first or second time. And what with Brooke's boyfriend coming back into town tomorrow, this will no loner be a ghost town anymore. So really, that wasn't much of a challenge. Hell, you could've probably figured that out."

"Yeah, that wasn't hard," Owen said.

"Give me something else to foretell," she said, excited.

He grinned at her, "Alright, then tell me, what do you expect to happen concerning you and Jake?"

Her face dropped, "I'm seriously considering firing you."

The drive back home was awkward, silent, and completely isolating. Nathan kept his hands on the steering wheel, not really bothering to say anything because he knew he wouldn't get answered. Haley was too tired and hormonal to have anything nice to say, and Brooke was off in her own little world, and that's what really scared him. He wasn't stupid. Sure, he fucked around during high school and wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but it didn't take rocket science to know that something happened. He wasn't exactly sure what it was yet, but with the help of Haley, they would figured it out. But defnitely not tonight. No, try tomorrow afternoon.

He pulled into the driveway as softly as he could with Brooke's car, trying to avoid getting yelled at from his wife. Something told him he could even run over a body, and Brooke wouldn't even notice, or even say anything at all. Unbuckling his seat belt, he got out of the car and went to the other side, opening the passenger and backdoor at the same time. Brooke wandered out, wrapping her arms around herself, walking up the driveway. Nathan shook Haley a little bit. She snapped her head up and got out of the car quickly, wanting to get to the comfort of a bed.

The house was quiet and loomy in all it's darkness. Nathan flicked the light off and saw Brooke walk up the stairs from the corner of his eye. Haley, who was in his arms, continued to try to sleep. He laid her down on the couch, knowing that within the next hour or so, she would wake up, requesting some weird and ghastly concoction that was supposed to be delicious.

Nathan turned the television on, turning the volume down. He sat there, stroking Haley's hair and watching the game intently. He sighed, wondering what had Brooke all down in the dumps. He wanted to believe that she was missing Brian, but he knew that wasn't the truth. No, it was Lucas she was missing, and maybe something happened between those two and made Brooke retract into her little shell. Apart of Nathan wanted to beat the shit out of his brother, who failed to think when it came to Brooke Davis, but the other half of him just wanted to sit his ass down, and give him step by step directions on what the hell to do. Because everything Lucas did concerning Brooke, turned to shit, whether he knew it or not. It was a mean thing to say, but it was true. When it came to her, Lucas was everywhere.

His ears perked up as he heard the sound of a car pull into his driveway. His senses were suddenly tingling, protection seeping into his veins. Nathan didn't think it was Lucas, because frankly, if he still wanted to keep his balls, he would stay away for a little while. There was no one else that he could think of that would be showing up this late at night. Unless...

"Hmm Nathan?" Haley mumbled, her eyes fluttering open.

"Yeah Hales?" he asked, still keeping his eyes on the front door and his ears alert.

"Who's here?" she asked, sitting up slowly, rubbing her stomach.

Nathan stood up from the couch, making his way to the door. "I guess we're about to find out." He twisted the door handle to hear a car door shut and drive off. Nathan squinted his eyes as he saw a figure carrying a bag and briefcase up the driveway.

"Brian?" Nathan called out.

"Yeah man, it's me," a voice said, Brian's face suddenly coming into view.

"Uhm, not that I'm unhappy to see you, but aren't you supposed to be in New York or something?" he asked as Brian entered the house.

"That's true, I am supposed to be in New York, but I decided to just take the private jet back here. I couldn't wait," he said excitedly.

Haley appeared next to Nathan," Brian, wow, back so soon?"

He grinned, "Yeah, I just couldn't be away from Brooke for a minute longer."

"What's the occasion?" Nathan asked, realization dawning over them. Frantic footsteps were heard from the stairs as a wave of brown hair came into view. Brooke stood there in her pajamas with a confused look on her face.

"Brian? What are you doing here?" she asked.

He went up to her and kissed her on the cheek, "I got here a little earlier than I had planned. You see, I couldn't wait to give you this."

She smiled confused, "Uhm, give me what?"

Brian dug into his pocket just as Haley clinged to Nathan's shirt. Nathan looked down and Haley and they shared a serious moment. They knew what was going to happen, too bad they couldn't warn Brooke that she was about to be in one of the most difficult decisions of her life.

He pulled out a small black box, and Brooke could've fainted right then and there, but some force held her body up. "I didn't have a business meeting in New York, I flew there to ge this. Brooke, we haven't really been together for that long, but I know that you make me happy, and that I love you very much. There's nothing that I wouldn't do for you, so, would you marry me?"

Brian was down on one knee, the box open, the glint from the diamond shining into her eyes.