I wish you all a happy Easter! And here a little "present" from me...an update!

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This night Brooke did not sleep well at all. She was afraid that her father would have another outburst and would come into her room and she could hear her parents yelling constantly at each other. The screaming did just not stop. All Brooke could think about was her family in Tree Hill. She hoped to see them as soon as possible.

Suddenly she heard her door opening. Immediately she jumped up in her bed and looked scared at her father. He looked at her like he had never done before. Some hours earlier he had looked so mad and actually had hit her and now he came into her room with eyes that looked sad and guilty.

He went into her room and sat down at the edge of her bed. Brooke looked stunned at him and did not know what to say. He could not look at her either but finally he tried and was shocked what he had done to his own daughter. Yes, he had hit her. Although he had never been there for her and did not know her at all, he still loved her. How could he cross that line?

"Brookie. I…", he began to stutter while Brooke hugged herself tight. She still had to cope with the feelings she had felt when he had used his power to hold her down and scream into her face. She could see that he felt guilty right now but for how long? She did not know her father any more. He had not been the kind of dad that had hit her, he hade been just the one that had bought her whatever she had wanted but had not been able to give her the love she needed.

He went closer to her and touched her bruised face "I am sorry.", Brooke shivered from head to toe. She was still mad at him but also afraid and confused, so she just stayed mute and a tear went down her face. It was like she could not move at all.

But his hand did not touch her chin for long. He took another chair and then started talking like she was one of his businessmen, "Your mother and I are going to have a divorce."

Brooke looked shocked at him. Although they were fighting like every second she always thought that they would never divorce. "You are still a minor, so you cannot live on your own."

It was the first time that Brooke managed to talk "I lived on my own my whole life.", she wanted to sound strong but to be true, she felt so helpless and small that her words showed all her fears.

"That's going to change. You did not handle it good at all and you need us or a nanny to supervise you." Inside Brooke yelled at him to leave her room and leave her alone forever. She just wanted to go back to Tree Hill. To her friends, her real family, the people who loved her just because she was Brooke. The Brooke that sometimes drank too much, made faults and could bitch at others but also the Brooke that cared so much for everyone and would do anything to make someone happy.

"I will be staying in New York and your mother will move to LA. We give you the choice to decide with whom you want to live.", he looked at Brooke as if he wanted the answer right away.

She did not want to live with her father nor with her mother. Both of them did not care for her and made her life worse than better. The tears were still falling down her cheek. Her father looked at her and she did not like his look at all. His guilty face was gone and he was not a person who would wait long for an answer.

"Can't I go back living with Karen Roe in Tree Hill?", she asked insecure, she did not want him to get mad at her again, nevertheless he stood up and looked down at her and did not say a word for a moment but then he started screaming, "No, you can't. I don't want to hear you asking this again. Now tell me where you want to live because we have to buy a ticket if you decide for LA."

Brooke knew that she would not win this fight but stopping to fight would mean that she would stop standing up for her own rights.

"Please…dad. I…", she did not expect him to do it again. She felt a hard sting at her cheek and then landed face forward on the ground. He had really hit her again. She held her cheek in shock and stood up. It was then that she lost it as well. All her emotions came out and she started screaming.

"I don't want to live with any one of you. I hate you. You hate me. Where is the point in that…"

"Brooke. Shut up.", he pointed with his finger at his little daughter but there was no way she would stop now.

"No, I won't. I want to live with my friends and Karen. They love me. They care for me. They know me better than any of you will know me…ever.", Brooke was mad but at the same time she was afraid. Her whole body was shivering and she hoped that he would not hit her again.

Unfortunately her wishes did not come true. He jumped forward and took her arm hard again.

"No, leave me alone.", she managed to get free but he was faster and pulled her into another room.

"Dad. Leave me alone.", she screamed and cried but he did not say a word and then closed the door, "I am sick of your behavior, young miss.", he pointed at her madly and she just hugged herself and leaned at the closed door.

"Come over here.", he had a ruler in his hands and pointed at his desk. Brooke looked shocked at him. "No.", she whispered and shook her head.

He jumped forward and took one of her hand on the desk and held it there by force. Then he started hitting her hand hard with the ruler.

"Aaaaaa…", Brooke screamed and tried to get free but he showed no mercy and kept on, "Stoooooop.", he hit so hard that she felt like her hand would break, "That hurts…please stop.", she cried hard but he just took her next hand and started again. She started to kick him with her leg and when he flinched he took her by her waist and pulled her over his knees.

"What are you doing? Stop. Let me goo…", she cried but he looked like all he could think about was hurting his daughter. He held her tight and then started hitting her back. Brooke felt every sting but of course she was not a little girl any more and could fight back, so she managed to get off his lap and ran to the door again to open it. But he had the key.

"Dad. Stop please.", she whined when he approached her again but he took a handful of her hair and pushed her hard on the couch. "You are just like your mother.", he screamed at her. He sat on top of her, so that she could not move her hands at all. She kicked wildly with her legs but there was no escape.

"Get off of me. Get off…get off.", she screamed in panic. She hated that she could not move at all and that he was looking down at her with his mad face and felt no mercy that she was in pain and crying.

"Tell me you're sorry.", he said cold but Brooke shook her head. There was no way she would lie to him again. "I hate you.", she said back although she knew that telling him that she would feel sorry would mean a better move. But there was no way.

He just stayed on top of her, so that she had no way of escaping. He did not hurt her but it was horrible to be in that position and she felt so weak.

"Get off me. Get off me.", she screamed over and over again but he stayed there with her arms pinned under him. She tried not to cry and show how vulnerable she was but she could not suppress her crying. "Get off meeeeee….moooooom", she screamed again but he held her tight "Not until you have calmed down."

She tried to fight him back but he was just too strong. Suddenly everything happened very fast. Her mother opened the door and pulled Richard off of her. "Are you crazy Richard?", she screamed at him. Brooke laid motionless on the couch.

"What is wrong with you Richard? Hitting your own daughter." Richard looked shocked at Brooke for a moment and then left the room while Victoria went over to Brooke. She had to hold a hand in front of her mouth when she saw Brooke's hands. She could not understand what had happened to her husband.

"Brookie.", Victoria softly touched Brooke's head and went through her hair. She was not a mother that really showed many motherly feelings to her daughter but still, this was her daughter lying on the couch in pain. Not only physically. Brooke did not move at all and did not say a thing.

"C'mon. Talk to me honey.", Victoria whispered.

Brooke turned around and looked with wet eyes into her mother's eyes. "He hit me mom!"

"I know. I am sorry Brooke. I am so sorry.", Victoria whispered back with tears in her eyes. "Oh. Really?", Brooke slapped her hand away and wanted to stand up but Victoria held her tight and close to her. They stayed like this for an hour with Brooke crying heavily in her mother's arms and Victoria trying to suppress her tears.

"Let me look at this.", Victoria took Brooke's hands and kissed them. Brooke did not understand anything. Her mother had never been that nice to her.

When her father came inside again she hid her face in her mother's chest. "This is for you.", Richard gave Brooke and envelope but Brooke did not take it. Victoria took it and nodded at Richard who went outside again with a guilty face.

"Open it.", Victoria said to Brooke and Brooke was shocked to see a flight to Tree Hill and a card from her dad. "I hope you'll be happy there."

Brooke looked stunned at her mother who smiled down at her. "Now lets pack your stuff.", Victoria helped Brooke into her room and for the first time she really felt like she was going to miss this young girl.

She could not believe it. She was sitting in the airplane back to Tree Hill. Back to her friends, back to her family. Although she was happy to see them again Brooke could not stop crying during the whole flight. It was not the physical pain she felt in her back and her hands, it was the emotional one.

The pain that she would never have the parents other friends had. Parents that would care for her and just love her. Parents that would wake you up in the morning with a smile on their faces and parents with whom you wanted to cuddle and talk about problems.

She was on her own. It's not like it was news for her but right now she felt it again and she hated that feeling. Although she loved Karen and her friends and to her they were her family, she knew that all of them already had a great family and she felt like they did not need her as another member. Of course she knew that they loved her as well and cared for her but still they were no family by blood. So she flew home not knowing whether she would hear from her parents soon or ever again and not knowing how the other would react to see her again. She closed her eyes and tried to think of anything that would make her happy. Unfortunately she had only thoughts in mind, that made her even sadder: Jimmy being dead, Julian in LA, her dad hitting her and many other things.

A tear went down her cheek.

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"Mom. Everything ready?", Lucas went outside with the luggage and took it into the car. "Yep. I am ready. So, Peyton, Nathan and Haley are already there?", Karen asked and smiled at his son. "Yes, they are. I cannot believe that it's our first time in New York and I could care less about New York right now."

Karen gave her son a soft kiss "Me neither. I just want to see her safe."

They went into the car and drove to the airport. She was so happy when Adam and Veronica, the housemaid and cook, had called them some days ago and they had decided to visit Brooke and talk to her parents again. They missed her and needed her.

"Hey.", Lucas hugged Haley and his brother and Peyton who were already standing in the line. "I am so excited.", Haley jumped up "I mean, we see her again and maybe they consider letting her stay in Tree Hill again."

"Yeah. I won't leave without her.", Peyton said honestly. "She belongs to us.", Lucas smiled and was looking forward seeing his Brookie.

"I am going to see my daughter again.", Karen smiled too and hoped that Brooke was all right. She really felt like a mother to her and all she wanted her to be was happy.

xxxxx

A very sad Brooke came out of the plane and waited for her luggage. She had her big glasses on because her face was blue and red from her father. When she got into the taxi, she did not know where she should drive to.

The truth was, that she did not have a real home at the moment. Her house was sold, living with the Roes was only a limited solution and living with her friends was impossible. Her parents still gave her enough money to rent something but they insisted that she would have a parental figure watching over her. Actually she had to laugh that her parents insisted on that now, while they could not care less for her when she was living with them. Sometimes people really do strange things.

She saw the Roes' house and took a deep breath when she went out of the car.

She stood in front of the house for a while and just looked at it and finally she knocked on the door and hoped to see two people she missed so much looking at her and smiling. She really hoped that they would be glad that she was back. Finally. Back in Tree Hill. Her home.