A/N: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers for being so patient the last month or so. My exam period was kind of intense, not to mention the amount of assignments that had to be submitted before I started clinical placement. Although I will be still updating over the next couple of weeks, it may be once a week, until I finish placement. Then, I can spend as much time as possible on my stories. Thanks everyone, you rock!! Now read and review!!! BTW I don't own OTH

Chapter 15-Behind These Hazel Eyes

"Rachel? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to come make sure you're ok" Rachel said, approaching the couch cautiously

"Cut the crap, Rach what are you really doing here?" Brooke asked aggressively

"Really, I miss your friendship" Rachel said earnestly

"Oh I thought you were the person who took my sloppy seconds" Brooke retorted

"That's fair"

"Why would you do that to me?" Brooke asked painfully. Rachel sat next to Brooke, but Brooke made more distance between the former friends as she scooted to the far end of the couch

"You do realise that Lucas has the same colour eyes as Cooper?" Rachel said softly, looking straight at Brooke. Brooke looked back at Rachel, trying to read her expression, to figure out where she was going with this.

"No…?" she replied confused

"Well he does. Lucas and Peyton had just broken up, we were both lonely. That how it all started" Rachel continued

"It doesn't explain why you were pretty much consummating you upcoming marriage in my hospital room" Brooke said, her eyes flickering with pain

"Well I'm still Rachel Gettina after all" she replied unapologetically. Brooke chuckled quietly to herself. The woman in front of her hadn't changed a single bit since high school. She was still the same old scheming provocative bitch about the town.

"You know I don't blame you" Brooke stated softly

"Really? I thought you would have hit the roof for stealing the love of your life" Rachel said nonchalantly

"At first, but I had just found out I was pregnant then Peyton told me he was engaged to you. And love of my life? Relationships aren't supposed to be so hard"

"Wait, Lucas didn't tell you about the engagement? That coward" Rachel scowled

"Yeah" Brooke said sadly

"He said he told you." Rachel told Brooke

"When?" Brooke asked interested

"When he was back in Tree Hill last"

Brooke laughed out loud, scratching her head slightly.

"No he was too busy impregnating me" she said frankly

Rachel scooted closer to Brooke on the couch

"I guess he lied to us both huh?" Rachel said awestruck

"Yeah well it wouldn't be the first time" Brooke said once again disappointed

Rachel looked at the pain etched in Brooke's features. The pain that she still carried everyday was probably eating her alive. Rachel had seen it when she had just broken up with Lucas during senior year, and when Brooke had heard Lucas and Peyton were back together, and particularly after Honey Grove. Rachel knew this was right decision. The right time to be here.

"I'm glad I came here, Bitch" Rachel poached carefully

"Me too, Skank" Brooke replied

The former friends shared a smile, relieved that the tension within the room evaporated.

The realisation that Lucas had lied to both of them had renewed the bond between the women, reignited ironically by the man who had forced them apart.

"Want to stay and watch some trashy TV, friend?" Brooke asked as she turned on the television

"Sure, Ho" Rachel said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Rachel retrieved a tube of cookie dough from the pantry, and the pair started watching E! Eliciting random bitchy comments along the way.

"So Rach when is the big day?" Brooke asked as they watched Bridezilla's

"Big day?" Rachel asked confused

"You know, flower girls, floral arrangements, churches, white wedding dress…not that you should deserve to wear white..." Brooke rambled

Rachel looked strangely at Brooke. She seemed sincere in asking the question, naïve even. She genuinely wanted to know, as a friend.

"Lucas hasn't told you, has he?" Rachel asked

"Told me what, exactly?" Brooke said

"About the wedding" Rachel continued, watching Brooke closely

"What about the wedding?" Brooke said, propping herself up on her elbows, looking directly at Rachel.

"I called it off"

"When?" Brooke's eyes widened to the size of saucers

"Are you sure Lucas hasn't told you all this?" Rachel asked carefully

"Answer the question, Rachel" she said bluntly

"The day I arrived" Rachel whispered

"So you're not getting married" Brooke said slowly

"No, considering I'm carrying Cooper's baby"

"You're carrying Cooper's baby?" Brooke screeched

"Oh Brooke, I thought he told you" Rachel said, feeling pity for Brooke

"Apparently not" she said haughtily

Karen and Lucas walked into the door at that exact moment.

"So much for not hurting me" Brooke said as she got up and walked across to the bedroom and slammed the door shut

"Brooke! Open up!" Rachel called from behind the door
"No not until he leaves!"

"Please, Brooke" Lucas pleaded

"Get out, Lucas" She roared

"Maybe you should go, Lucas" Karen said quietly

Lucas looked like he had been hit by a train. He slowly walked towards the open front door.

"This is how the truth catches up with you, Lucas" Karen said quietly from next to Rachel.

"You have no idea" Rachel said next to Karen. Rachel and Karen had not had the easiest of relationships. Karen had not openly dismissed Rachel, but she wasn't warm towards her either. But today, when all Lucas' lies are exposed they banded together to help the one who got hurt by him the most.

As Lucas reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Peyton struggling to get the groceries into the apartment building. She looked up and saw the crest fallen look on his face.

"She knows, doesn't she?" Peyton said. Lucas merely nodded. Peyton discarded the groceries at the bottom of the stairs and ran the 3 flights of stairs at amazing speed, particularly for a girl who avoided sport at all costs.

"Brooke?" Peyton called

"She won't come out" Rachel said

Peyton ignored the other occupants in the room and knocked gently on Brooke's door

"Brooke, are you there?" Peyton called

"Peyton? Is he gone?" Brooke sobbed from behind the door

"Yeah he is"

Brooke opened the door marginally, only giving enough space for Peyton to fit her slender frame through.

"What happened, B.Davis?" Peyton said as she knelt down to where Brooke was, curled up in a ball against her bed

"He lied to me" she cried

"Lucas? About what?" Peyton asked, already knowing the answer, but dreading it all the same. Peyton had hoped that Lucas would have come clean after Brooke had given birth. It may be difficult in the long run, but the distress that Brooke was going through could affect the baby, and that is something Peyton thought that was more important at the moment. She knew that if something happened to the baby, Brooke would never forgive herself.

"About getting married, about Rachel's baby" Brooke hiccupped

"Oh"

"Oh? What do you mean oh? Do you know?" Brooke barked

"Yes, Lucas told everyone yesterday" Peyton said, trying to move closer to a skittish Brooke

"He told EVERYONE?" she fumed

"Brooke, breathe"

"How can I Peyton? All you and Haley have told me over the last 3 months was he's changed Brooke, give it time Brooke, try and trust him again, Brooke. And you were all in this together!" she yelled

"We wanted him to tell you" Peyton said simply

"Well you didn't even get that right!"

"What do you mean?" Peyton said, confused. She had assumed that Lucas had just told Brooke

"Rachel told me!"

Peyton groaned. She had just assumed that Rachel had just walked into the situation, much like she had.

"She shouldn't have done that" Peyton told Brooke

"Yeah well if she didn't, I would still be contemplating playing house with a lying, cheating scum bag!" Brooke screamed in her face. Peyton knew not to take Brooke's outburst to heart, she was really upset at Lucas, and Peyton was just in the firing line.

Peyton watched Brooke pace back and forth.

"Brooke, would you sit down damn it!" Peyton said

Brooke sat down on the bed, her forehead wrinkled in anger for the situation Lucas had put her in.

"Listen to me Brooke. Lucas is an ass, we all know that. Once again, he kept something pretty major from you-"

"Pretty major, Peyton? He conveniently forgot to mention he wasn't engaged or the father of Rachel's child!" Brooke said, hugging the teddy bear that was sitting on her bed.

"Yes but he is also the father of your child" Peyton reminded her gently

"So?"

"So, he is going to be apart of your life either way" Peyton rationalised

"Not if I can help it, now get out" Brooke whispered

"What?" Peyton reeled from the shock of what Brooke had just said

"I said get out, you all lied to me. Just leave me alone" Brooke said, turning her back to Peyton, still clutching the soft toy.

"Brooke-"

"No, just leave me alone"

She knew she was being harsh, but this felt like déjà vu. The people that she cared about the most covered up for the one person she continually let back in, only to be disappointed all over again. She would have to stop this on going cycle of hurt, pain and anguish.

Peyton watched as Brooke climbed into bed, and moved into the fetal position. She hated seeing Brooke like this, so broken up inside. She knew the best thing was to leave Brooke alone. But being alone scared Brooke half to death, and Peyton knew that. She also knew that Brooke hated relying on others, and needed someone to be there for her.

Peyton opened the door and slipped out.

"Is she ok?" Rachel asked

"She will be"

"This cant be good for the baby, all the stress she must be going through" Karen said, looking at the now closed bedroom door

"Tell me about it, but she will come to us when she is ready" Peyton said confidently.

"Do you think it is best that Lucas stay here still?" Karen asked Peyton

"Lucas was staying here?" Rachel whipped around, looking directly at Peyton

"Oh boy and the lies keep coming out" Peyton muttered

"You didn't know that he was staying here?" Karen asked Rachel

"No…?"
Peyton looked at Rachel, who appeared to be telling the truth. As much as she loved Lucas, she hated him for treating Brooke this way. All the lies and deceit had finally caught up with Lucas, and it had jeopardised his chance of being a father.

"Maybe one of us should stay here just in case" Peyton said

"I'll stay" Karen offered

"That's a good idea" Peyton said

"Well I have my cell phone with me if she wants to talk" Rachel said as she grabbed her handbag and moved towards the door

"Ditto" Peyton said as she followed Rachel out.

"I know what she is going through girls. Being hurt by the one person who you give your heart to, that isn't something that can be forgiven easily" Karen offered

Peyton and Rachel exchanged a glance. They knew the pain that Karen had been through with Dan; it was almost like town folklore by now.

"Ok we'll go then" Peyton said, and closed the door gently behind her.

Karen took poll position on the couch, picking up one of Brooke's gossip magazines, and started to flick through it. She glanced at the door every couple of minutes or so, hoping Brooke would emerge.

Karen pottered around the apartment, anxious that Brooke hadn't come out of her room in hours. She had underestimated the amount of hurt her son had inflicted on Brooke.

As she cleaned up the kitchen drawers, containing a myriad of take out menus. As she shuffled through the drawer, a flash of blue caught Karen's eye. She reached into the drawer, a pulled out a photo. Her son's eyes shone as he smiled at Brooke, rather then at the camera. The river was a distant focal point in the photo, signifying the photo being taken at the river court. Brooke was grinning widely, with a smile that reached her eyes, one that Karen had not seen in years.

"Haley gave that to me"

Karen turned around; Brooke was leaning against the wall, staring at the photograph.

"She gave it to me after Jimmy's death, after Lucas was… difficult" she said painfully, almost like she was transported back in time.

"When was it taken?" Karen asked quietly

"5 years ago…right before the shooting"

"Come on Tutor Girl enough with the photos" Brooke said as Haley took her camera out and pointed it at the boys playing basketball

"I can't help it, do you realise this is our senior year? We may never be here again, be in this place, as happy as we are now" she said

"Are you happy, Cheery?" Lucas asked as he joined Brooke on the picnic bench

"Like you wouldn't believe, Broody" Brooke said as he gave her an Eskimo kiss

"Haley's right. We maybe never feel like this again, feels so in love you hurt"

"You really feel like that, Lucas?" Brooke asked turning to face him

"Of course, I love you, I'll always love you" Lucas said

"Well, you've got me, Lucas Scott, and I never want you to let me go"

"I would never let you go, Brooke, you're my soul mate" As the lovers melded together to form a passionate kiss, they were unaware Haley was clicking away capturing the love they shared, standing still in time.

"Haley gave this to me after the party at the school after the shooting. I wanted so badly to be there for him, but he wouldn't let me all the way in" Brooke said in a kind of trance.

She told me 'Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. When life gets hard, when things change, true love remains the same"

Karen turned the photograph over to see the Shakespeare quote written in Haley's cursive scrawl.

She had seen a similar photo in her son's room. Unbeknownst to Brooke, he carried the same photo, carried around the same happy memories, hoping to mask them with other life events.

Brooke sat down, wincing slightly.

"You ok, honey?" Karen said, sitting opposite her

"Yeah I'm fine just kidney shots" she said, smiling slightly

"How about some tea?" Karen offered

Brooke nodded her head in agreement

"The others left, huh?" Brooke asked

"They wanted to give you some space" Karen replied as she filled the kettle with water

"Oh"

"They were just trying to protect you"

"I know but it hurts all the same" Brooke whispered

"I know, sweetie" Karen said and grasped Brooke's hand briefly before the kettle started whistling.

Karen set down the cups of tea on the table. The two women drank the tea in silence.

Karen watched Brooke turn into an amazing woman over the last couple of years. Initially she was hesitant about Lucas' choice of girlfriend, but over time, even when Lucas dumped her, Karen could see past the party girl façade and saw a scared girl, with a huge heart.

Brooke took a sharp intake of breath.

"Brooke, are you sure you're ok?" Karen said concerned

"Yeah fine" she said smiling faintly

"Brooke, really?" Karen said alarmingly

"A huh"

"Brooke?" Haley called

"In here" she called back

"Hey, Tigger, how are you feeling?" Haley asked carefully

"Fine, Tutor Mom, where's Nate?" Brooke asked cheerfully

"Looking after Jamie, I just wanted to check on you"

"Peyton sent you?" Brooke asked suspiciously

"No…" Haley said twisting her hair nervously

Brooke looked at Haley

"Ok, she sent me" Haley admitted

"Karen and I were-" Brooke grasped her stomach, pain etched across her face, her hand holding onto the edge of the table for dear life.

"Brooke?" Haley asked worryingly

"It's ok; I'm telling you it's just kidney shots" Brooke said, releasing her hold on the table, and taking another sip of her tea. Karen looked at Brooke, her eyes widening with realisation at what was happening.

"Brooke, I don't think its kidney shots" Karen said

"What are you talking about?"

"Brooke you're in labour" Karen exclaimed

"No I cant, it's too soon!" Brooke cried

"Quick Haley we need to get Brooke to the hospital" Karen said moving into crisis mode

"Haley I can't do this" Brooke said as she grasped Haley's hand

"You can, we just need to get you to the hospital before…." Haley looked down at the now wet floor, not to mention her shoes

"Your water breaks" she finished

A/N: so that's the chapter, things are starting to speed up, arnt they?? Please review as the next chapter, in my bias opinion is one of my best and the sooner I get some reviews the sooner I get the chapter out!!