Chapter 40- The Heart Brings You Back
A/N:Hey everyone, It's hard to believe this is the last chapter of my baby!I want to thank everyone that read, review, and put story and author alerts on this story. I have been a long time reader of FF, and the fact that this is my first story and it got over 300 reviews means the world to me, it really truly does. THBYB sometimes seemed like the little story that could, and I thank every one who stuck with this story. As most of you know through my A/N's my health hasn't been the best over the last year, so thank you to everyone who stuck with the story through the long hiatus' that sometimes occurred. Lastly, a very big thank you to tanya2byour21,othx3BRUCAS,flipflopgirl,ga-4-ever,BrOoKe DaViS23 and to everyone else I forgot that reviewed every chapter I wrote. I cant say how much I look forward to your thoughts on the chapter. Anyway,for one last time, reviews equal love!-Lydia
Brooke was frustrated. The baby had been crying for what seemed like forever, and she could not find the diapers. The house was littered with boxes, and she had an inkling that they had been packed somewhere. This is just great she thought as she rummaged through a box holding family albums.
"Luke? Where did you put all the diapers?" Brooke screeched from the upper level of their New York apartment.
Lucas looked hastily in the boxes sitting in the lounge room.
"I think they may be in the….truck" he muttered, just loud enough for Brooke to hear.
"The truck? The truck!" Brooke screamed
"I'll go out and get more"
"Thanks" she replied sarcastically as she bounced the baby on her lap. Brooke sat on the love seat near the second floor window. A bright pink album caught her eye. Brooke picked up the album, and smiled as her fingers traced the lettering. Baby's First Album. On the front of the album, were a Polaroid of Brooke and Lucas looking at a sleeping Ella, wrapped in the hospital blanket. Brooke flipped through the photos, capturing Ella's first year of life. Brooke found it hard to imagine that her little baby was grown up. It certainly did not feel to Brooke like it had been nearly 9 years since she first gave birth. Although so much had happened in this time, she would not have changed it for the world. Finally the last piece of the puzzle was about to be put into place. She was returning home.
"? Where are you?" Peyton called as she walked through the door.
"I'd be careful she's a bit stressed out" Lucas muttered as he slipped through the door.
"Brooke?" She said as she climbed the stairs.
"Peyton" Brooke called out relieved
"What's up ? Lucas said you were a little stressed"
"Oh it's nothing; I didn't realize how stressful moving would be. Plus Sophie slept for a total of 2 hours last night"Brooke said, warily combing her fingers through her auburn hair.
"Oh you poor thing" Peyton said as she reached out to hold the small child, who was happily gargling away. Sophie looked like a carbon copy of Brooke-she had large brown eyes and just a handful of dark brown hair.
"Thanks for being here Goldilocks; it's been hard not having everyone around the last couple of years" Brooke admitted.
Brooke and Lucas moved to New York 4 years ago. It became increasingly hard for Lucas and Brooke to commute between Tree Hill and New York. Lucas' fledgling writing career was keeping him in New York with his editor for weeks at a time. Also, Brooke was not only trying to care for one-year-old Riley at the time, but manage her company. The couple never seemed to find time for one another, even so their decision to move was a difficult one. Now, their kids, not to mention Naley and Jeyton's children were growing up, they wanted to move back to their home town to raise the kids in a more family friendly environment.
"I know, where is everyone anyway?" Peyton asked as they walked down stairs into the kitchen. Brooke turned the kettle and picked up two mugs from the box titled "Kitchen crap"
"Rachel and Cooper took the kids to the zoo."
"Can they handle 4 kids under the age of 10?" Peyton asked
"I sure hope so" Brooke smiled warily "How's Jenny and the boys?"
"Growing each day"
Peyton and Jake's marriage had gone from strength to strength. After the birth of their second son, Davey 2 years ago, Peyton decided to take a step back from the record company. She never knew how much she would love being a stay at home Mom.
Just then, a stampede of children ran through the house.
"Mom!" Ella cried as she hugged Brooke. "Hi Aunt Peyton"
"Hey baby, did you like the zoo?"
"I love the zoo! Is there going to be a zoo in Tree Hill?" Ella asked meekly
"I afraid not, honey. But there is one really close by"
"Ok" Ella said cheerfully as she ran into her room. Ella could never be mistaken as a tomboy. Her room was painted in bright pinks and purples, ballerinas a prominent theme throughout the room. Ella's medium length brunette hair was braided in two identical plaits, and she wore a purple butterfly dress, and patent black dress shoes.
"How are the kids handling moving?" Peyton asked as she stirred the coffee.
"Ella seems ok with it, I think she takes after me, she is so carefree and bubbly. Declan and Riley on the other hand…" Brooke trailed off
"Acting like little terrors?" Peyton guessed, knowing what raising boys was like.
"Sometimes, yes. Every time Luke or I mention moving, they chuck a tantrum, wherever we are. House, supermarket, school anywhere. I'm hoping having his cousins nearby in Tree Hill will hopefully help them settle in"
"Hey Peyton can you help me?" Lucas said as he struggled with the groceries.
"Yeah, no worries" Peyton said, slipping off her stool and following Lucas.
Brooke felt a tug on her top
"Momma?"
"Yeah Baby D?"
"How come we hafta move?" the small boy asked, his lip quivering slightly. Declan had blonde hair, much like his father, and kind brown eyes, like his mother. Declan also took after his father in demeanor as well. He would spend hours drawing, and brooding just like Lucas. It amazed Brooke how much he was like Lucas. When Declan was a baby, he would only go to sleep if Lucas or herself would read to him. Brooke liked to think that Declan was a sensitive soul.
Brooke picked up her 4 year old and placed him on her lap.
"Well honey, remember how we go see Grandma Karen and Grandpa Keith at Christmas time, and we see your cousins, and that makes Mommy and Daddy really happy?"
The boy nodded in reply
"Well Mommy and Daddy want to live in the house that I grew up in, so everyone can be close"
"But what about everyone here? What about Aunt Rachel and Uncle Cooper and Katie?" Declan asked.
"Well Rachel, Cooper and Katie will come for a lot of visits. I promise"Brooke replied.
Having Rachel,Cooper and their daughter Katie close by had been a god send for Brooke. Rachel and Cooper never married, and they liked it that way. Katie was a bit of a surprise two years ago for the couple. Rachel was a little reluctant to have a child at first, but after some coercing by Brooke, went through with the pregnancy.
"You promise?" Declan asked
"I promise, little man"
The boy continued to sit on his mother's lap looking glum.
"Anything else on your mind, Dec?" Brooke asked
"Rileywantedtoknowifwecouldhaveadog" Declan said in one breath.
"What's that?"
"Can we gets a dog when we go to Tree Hill?" he whispered
Brooke grinned and kissed Declan on the head as she placed him back on the floor.
"Go ask your father" she replied, smirking slightly
The boy ran out of the room shouting to his brother.
"RILEY, MOM SAID WE COULD GET THE DOG!"
"Awesome!" Riley replied, as he high fived his brother, then continued to play NBL Live.
If Declan took after Lucas, Riley was all Brooke. With a mess of brown hair, and piercing blue eyes, Riley was as outgoing and extroverted as Brooke was. He was on the school council at elementary school, and of course, on the basketball team.
Brooke rolled her eyes. Peyton and Lucas carried all the groceries in.
"What's this about a dog?" Lucas said crinkling his brow as he walked up to Brooke and kissed her on the lips.
"I figured that since the kids couldn't have a pet living here, we would have plenty of room in Tree Hill" Brooke said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Ok, Pretty Girl" Lucas said kissing her on the lips again
"God, would you guys get a room? You would think that having 4 kids would put a damper on it" Peyton said as she placed the last of the groceries on the table.
"Ha, I don't think so" Brooke said as she wrapped her hands around her husband.
"Ok, I'm going to leave you two love birds to it." Peyton replied as she walked towards the front door.
"Thanks " she heard Brooke reply, her raspy laugh echoing through the house.
"Are we really doing this?" Brooke said looking around the packed up house.
"I think we really are"
"Do you think we are making the right decision, Luke?" Brooke asked
"Pretty Girl, we are living on top of each other here. Plus we agreed we didn't want to raise the kids in the city"
"I know…" she said reluctantly
"Cheery, we own your house in Tree Hill, and only use it every Christmas. It's a waste of space."
"I know, I just wish the kids were a little more happy about moving" Brooke replied
"Once they are get to know Naley's kids I'm sure they will fit in a bit more" Lucas said.
"Naley? I think you have been spending too much time with me" Brooke chortled
"And that's the way I like it" he replied kissing his wife passionately
A week had past, and finally the house was packed up and the Scott family arrived in Tree Hill. The movers were at the house shifting the furniture and boxes in, and Lucas took the boys and Ella to the Rivercourt. Brooke stood outside Karen's Café, still feeling as though she was in a dream. Brooke took a deep breath and opened the door. The doorbells chimed, and she stepped through the threshold. The place hadn't changed one bit over the years.
"Hello? Anyone home?" she called, as she saw Haley sipping coffee at the counter, and Karen serving customers nearby.
"Brooke!"
"Tigger" Karen and Haley said simultaneously.
"What are you doing here; I thought you were coming next week" Haley asked as she hugged her friend.
"Luke and I didn't think it was much point hanging around NY when we both wanted to be here. Plus the kids were getting antsy" Brooke explained with a shrug.
"Oh where are the kids and Luke?"Karen asked
"One guess"
"I don't think we'll need it, somehow" Haley stated.
Haley knew better the almost anyone that Lucas had lived and breathed the Rivercourt for so many years growing up. Of course it would be the first place he would go when he arrived back in town.
"Where are your rugrats, Tutor Mom?" Brooke asked
"Jamie and Bella are with Nathan at the River court, and the bubs are in the cot in the back," Haley said, waving the baby monitor.
"Ohh let me see!"
With Sophie being so young, Lucas and Brooke had put off coming back to Tree Hill since last Christmas. Although Brooke had seen plenty photos of the expanding Naley brood, she had never been able to see them close up.
"Madeline and Ryan have been eager to meet their Aunt Brooke." Haley said, leading Brooke to the back to where the twins lay. Brooke set Sophie down at the other end of the play pen. Brooke took a good look at the latest additions to Haley and Nathan's family.
"Aww Haley they are gorgeous"
Maddie had Haley's chocolate brown eyes and a tuft of raven hair. Ryan, on the other hand, had Haley's natural blonde hair and Nathan's cobalt eyes.
"Thanks, Davis" a baritone replied
"Hey Nate" she said reaching up to give her brother in law a hug.
"Where's your knucklehead of a brother?" Brooke asked
"Heading over to your house, and he told me to tell you to get your tea from here and come home"
"How did he know I was over here?" Brooke inquired
"Wild guess. You woman and your gossip" Nathan muttered
"Ok, I should get going. Karen, could I grab some of your lasagna?"
"Sure thing hon"
Brooke picked up Sophie from the play pen and placed Sophie on her hip
"Both of you are coming to the home warming party right?" Brooke asked
"Brooke you lived in that house since your childhood" Haley reminded her friend.
"But not with Luke and the kids" Brooke said before waving goodbye and leaving the store.
"Brooke hasn't changed one bit. Any excuse for a party" Karen said.
The doorbell had been ringing all night. The house was filled with their friends and family, the kids were running around the backyard, chasing their new golden retriever, Whitey. The sunset was gradually forming across the sky, and the parents were chatting by the makeshift bonfire that the men had made.
Brooke stood behind the fly screen door, watching the scene, and smiling to herself.
"What are you smiling at, ?" Peyton asked as she approached her friend.
"I'm just happy to be back in Tree Hill"
"It's nice to have you back. It hasn't been the same around here without you, you know" Peyton said
"I know, it's been really hard without you guys, you were with me every step of the way when I was pregnant with Ella… and then nothing" Brooke smiled sadly
"You have Lucas, though"
"I know, and I love him with all my heart and I always will. But sometimes you just need your gal pals if you know what I mean." Brooke explained
Peyton simply nodded her head and gave Brooke a hug.
"Hoes over bros?"
"Buds over Studs"
Lucas was staring into the fire, brooding as usual.
"Hey big bro" Nathan said as he approached.
"Hey Nate"
"Are you ok? Shouldn't you be celebrating your homecoming? Not brooding in the corner" Nathan inquired.
"I know, it's hard not to reminisce with everyone here"
"Bro, you have a beautiful family, a smokin' wife, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence. What the hell is there to brood about?"
"Nothing. For the first time in a long time, I am happy, Brooke's happy, the kids are happy. There is very little to complain about," Lucas said as he turned around to see Brooke, Peyton, and Haley, hug and laugh loudly from the back porch. He had not seen Brooke this happy, and well cheery in months.
"So you are brooding about not having to brood? You're unbelievable." Nathan said rolling his eyes. "Be happy, Luke. Your family is happy and healthy. You have nothing to worry about." Nathan continued
"Thanks, bro. It's good to be home"
"No worries, Luke. Maybe now I'll have actual competition on the River Court" he replied smirking.
"God don't let Skills hear you say that"
Brooke and Lucas laid on the love seat on the back porch, watching the mingling of their friends and family. Brooke lay across Lucas, her head resting on his chest.
"What are you thinking about, Mrs. Scott?"
"I'm thinking about wonderful things, bright and happy things" she murmured as she closed her eyes briefly.
"What bright and happy things?" he asked stroking her hair.
Brooke laughed her typical raspy manner. "Shoes, and clothes, you know the usual" she said jokingly.
"Seriously, Cheery"
"I'm imagining our future"
"What's in our future, Mrs. Scott?" Lucas asked
"I see our kids growing up happy and healthy. I see us being a successful power couple. I see us being surrounded by friends and family for all the important moments, and most of all I see us being together forever, Mr. Scott" Brooke replied contently
"Hmm I like the sound of that" he said, closing his eyes also.
"Are you happy the way everything turned out, Brooke?" Lucas asked, a serious tone evident in his voice. He knew that everything had turned out for the best in the end, however, there was always a part of Lucas who felt guilty for the way he treated Brooke in the beginning, particularly after Ella's conception. He had spent the last 5 years trying to make up for it, everyday.
Brooke opened her eyes, concerned about the change of tone in her husband's voice. Being married for 5 years, she was able to tell, even with her eyes closed when Lucas was brooding.
"Luke, you're still beating yourself up about what happened back then, aren't you?" she asked
Silence met her question.
"Lucas, look at me," Brooke asked quietly as he opened his own eyes."You have no need to feel guilty anymore ok? Because since then you have been there for me and for our children every step of the way. For every birth, every check up, every birthday, Christmas. Luke, I forgave you a long time ago, you have to know that. You are my one, my only one, Luke, and I love you," She said, looking directly into his eyes
"Ok" he replied sheepishly
"Ok" she repeated confidently as she rested her head on his chest once more.
"Hey Brooke?"
"Yeah?"
"How did know I was the one, after everything we went through. I mean, you could have easily left me back then" he said, pain evident in his eyes, at the thought of Brooke, his Brooke being with someone else. Brooke thought for a moment, to answer the man who had become her life, the person that she could not live without, bar her children. They both had their flaws, made their fair share of mistakes. But despite it all, they had managed to be more in love with each other as the days past. Brooke realized in that moment, that although she had loved others, she had only ever really been in love with one man in her life. Brooke turned towards Lucas, kissed him seductively on the lips before answering him.
"My heart brought me back to you, Lucas Eugene Scott, plain and simple"
A/N: What did you think? Was it a fitting end to this story?Please review (it will be the last time I ask, I promise!!)-Lydia