A/N: Hey everybody, as last chapter and the following one are more filler chapters to set up the future events, so I apologise. I just wanted to portray that Lucas is willing to do anything for his family, and by the Victoria confrontation, hopefully I was able to get that across. Anyway, after a busy week on placement, I was in the writing mood, so here it is. Please read and review, you know how much I love them!
Chapter 31-Walking on Sunshine
"Oh Broody its good to be home" Brooke said, flopping onto the couch
"Hmm it is" he said putting his arms around Brooke's shoulders and kissing her on the head.
"So what do you want to do now?" she asked, laying her head on his broad shoulder.
Lucas raised his eyebrows
"No way, mister. Ella isn't even walking yet, although not through a lack of trying"
"I know, she was practically climbing from one end of the plane to another" Lucas said, laughing "How bout we just spend tonight in, you know family style" he suggested
"Yeah that sounds great"
Brooke and Lucas sat on their couch, arms wrapped around each other, as Ella played with toys on a rug on the floor.
They watched their daughter, who was babbling happily to herself.
"I'm happy, are you happy?" Brooke asked, intertwining her finger with his.
"I'm ridiculously happy"
"I'm glad" Brooke said kissing him softly on the lips.
"Did you think we would be here?"
"In the lounge? That's where the best TV is"
"You know what I mean. In living together, having a baby" Lucas asked, looking seriously at his girlfriend
"Honestly, when we were going out, even when we weren't, I imagined what our life is like. Even though we didn't talk about it, I had it all planned out. We would date all through college even though I was in New York and you were in Chapel Hill. We would take turns visiting each other. We would have fights but have great make up sex in the back of your car or in my dorm room when my room mate was out. Then, one night you take me out in Tree Hill after we both had graduated and I would turn up at Tric, surrounded by all our friends and family, you would get down on one knee and say to me "Brooke, I love you, and couldn't imagine my life without you. You are the one person I want to be with forever. My Cherry, My Pretty Girl. Will you marry me?" and of course I would say yes, and you would give me a princess cut diamond with diamonds on the band. And then we would slow dance to Wonderwall. And everyone congratulates us, and says they always knew we were going to get married, because we were meant to be like Nathan and Haley are."
"Wow, you thought about all this" he said, shocked at Brooke's dream.
"Yeah. We would get married the same date as our first date was on. I would wear this beautiful dress, and Larry would give me away, because he was the closest thing to a dad I had growing up. Haley, Peyton, Rachel and Bevin would be my bridesmaids and would wear beautiful lemon coloured dresses, and Jenny and Lily would be flower girls. Keith would be your best man, and Jake, Cooper, Skillz and Nate would be your groomsmen. We would honeymoon in Paris, where it will snow the entire time we are there. We would come back, and realise that I was pregnant. We would have a girl first" she said looking over at Ella who was using the adjacent couch to help steady herself as she took a tentative step before making a tumble to the ground. She happily got up, and tried again.
"Then we would have to boys, two years apart. And even though they were younger, they would always look after their big sister. I guess cause I was alone so much growing up, I always imagined on having a house full of kids"
Lucas looked shocked as Brooke concluded her monologue.
"I wish you had told me sooner." He whispered
"Why? It's not like we can change things now"
"I guess not. I just wish I could make some of the things talk about true." Lucas said wistfully
"You still can if you try" Brooke said, smiling broadly
"Well I will do my best"
Lucas leant down and kissed Brooke on the lips, their bodies meshing into one.
"Lucas" she moaned
Brooke opened her eyes and in her periphery, saw her daughter take one more step towards her parents then she had previously
She pushed Lucas off her and said "I think you should go get the video camera"
"To tape this?" Lucas exclaimed
"No you idiot, look, Ella is trying to walk!"
"Oh" he hastily removed himself from Brooke's embrace and came back, camera in hand.
Brooke was now on the floor, her arms spread out wide calling Ella's name
"Ella, come to Momma, Ella!!" Brooke said in a high pitched voice
Lucas joined Brooke on the floor and began filming. Ella obviously wasn't camera shy because as soon as Lucas opened the lens she started waving and smiling.
"Go to Momma, Elle-Belle" Lucas said behind the camera.
Ella, after a few attempts, was making it successfully halfway across the room to her parents.
They had gotten every attempt on tape, and waiting in anticipation for her to reach them.
Brooke had grabbed Ella's favourite toy, a red teddy bear that Brooke had bought in New York. Brooke was enticing Ella with it, waving it around.
"I'm not sure she can do it, Cheery" Lucas said as Ella tumbled down once more.
"Sure she can, Broody. If she is my daughter, she can do anything she sets her mind to" Brooke said determinably
"I believe that"
Ella got up again, her gait very unstable. She got to the middle of the room, Brooke still encouraging her. She looked about to stumble over once more, but at the last minute regained her balance. Ella took a few more awkward steps, and was about a foot away from Lucas and Brooke.
"You're nearly there!" coached Brooke
Ella took her final steps towards Brooke, her arms reaching out for her mother. Ella stumbled the final few steps, Brooke catching her easily. Ella started giggling once she was in Brooke's arms.
"You're a clever girl, aren't you?" she said "isn't she Luke?" Brooke asked looking into the camera.
"She sure is" Luke said discarding the video camera, and joining his family.
It was a perfect fall day, the park littered with fallen leaves. Four children were climbing on the play equipment, watched closely by 3 women sitting on a nearby bench.
"Lily, please be careful with your niece!" Haley called as Lily attempted to pick Ella up and carry her across the play ground.
"So how are you and Lucas going?" Haley asked Brooke carefully
"Really good, I think" she said, watching Ella as she played patticakes with Lily.
"You think?" Peyton asked her eyebrow arching in intrigue.
"I don't know, ever since we were kids he has had this ability over me, you know? One minute I think that everything is fine, and the next he is either kissing one of my best friends" she said glancing over at Peyton, who looked away guiltily "or doing something equally stupid. I guess I am just waiting for the penny to drop"
"Brooke honey, I don't it is going to be like that this time" Haley said gently
"Why Haley?" she asked desperately
"Because I have never seen Lucas so committed to two people in my entire life. I understand where you are coming from; he had this tendency to shut people out that matter the most to him. But I think time has changed him. You've changed him. He is more thoughtful and considerate, he isn't as selfish. I mean, from what I hear, he has been showing you how much he loves you in every way." Haley said to her friend
"Yeah Brooke, so what was your latest present?" Peyton asked
"Well, the last time I got a gift from him; it was when She Who Should Not Be Named showed up, which is a little strange, you know, considering every other present has been like clockwork"
Peyton and Haley exchanged a knowing look that went unnoticed by Brooke, who was watching the children play.
"I dunno Brooke, maybe he will surprise you." Peyton said, nudging Haley
"But why, it's not like we have an anniversary or anything" Brooke said, pain flashing across her features before her friends could notice
"But you love him though, right?" Peyton asked
"Of course, I wouldn't be with him otherwise"
"And you can't imagine your life without him?" Haley continued
Brooke thought for a moment.
"No, I really couldn't"
"Then what is there to think about?" Peyton said
"I guess so" Brooke said, eyeing her friends' wedding bands.
It's not like she had been thinking about marriage a lot, but lately, just seeing Lucas and how he interacted with Ella, and how his actions were speaking louder with words, meant more to Brooke then he would ever know. She loved the nights that they just spent at home as a family, just watching TV, or a movie. She loved how every day when they woke up he would lean over and kiss her on the lips before getting up to make breakfast while Brooke got Ella ready for the day. She loved how he stood up against her mother in New York, which really showed her he was going to be there for them. It was in the small moments that she loved being with him. When he would stoke her hair when watching a movie, or patting her reassuringly on the thigh when they are having dinner or when he randomly mouths 'I love you' in the middle on the conversation with another person.
"I can tell a Lucas trance when I see it" Peyton said jokingly
Brooke just smiled in return.
"He never loved me the way he loves you" Peyton stated seriously. Brooke paused for a moment before answering her blonde friend.
"I guess I finally believe it. Where did Tutor Mom go?" Brooke wondered
"Just to see what Nate is up to" Peyton said, her fingers crossed behind her back.
"Oh ok"
Haley was about 500 feet from Brooke and Peyton, and quickly dialled a familiar number.
"Yeah Hales?" he replied
"It's a go"
"Thanks, Haley" he said, relief evident in his voice
"See you soon!" she sing songed into the phone.
A/N: There you go, another chapter!Who was Haley talking to? What are the girls in on that Brooke isnt? All will be revealed in the next chapter (which I love, by the way) so please review, and maybe I will update sooner then expected!-Lydia