DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Tree Hill, unfortunately Mark Schwann does. I do not own the song 'flowers for a ghost' either, Thriving Ivory does.

Anyways, here is the next chapter in Fix Me. I hope you all enjoy and don't be afraid to leave your comments behind.

You disappear with all your good intentions
And all I am is all I could not mention
Like who will bring me flowers when it's over
And who will give me comfort when it's cold

xxxx

"Brooke…" Lucas sighed as he placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "I need you to talk to me."

"I don't feel like talking," she responded plainly as she flipped through a fashion magazine, her eyes focused on an article rather than on the desperate blonde that was trying to reach out to her. Lucas looked over at Haley helplessly. Haley nodded her head as she stood up and snatched the magazine from Brooke's hand.

"HALEY!"

"Sorry Brooke but it had to be done," she answered seriously. "We need to know how long you are planning on being here. Are you just gonna skip town again or are you planning on staying here?"

"I want to stay," Brooke answered quietly as she looked at her hands.

"I want to believe you Brooke but I'm afraid that you'll leave us again. I understand that you are going through hell right now but you have to let us in."

"I can't go back to New York," she responded meekly. "It's only a reminder of my heartless mother and the hell that she put me through.

"Okay," Lucas nodded his head, satisfied with her answer. "I will go to New York next week and gather your belongings."

"Lucas its okay, you don't have to do that..."

"I want to," he responded simply. The sound of the door opening broke all three adults from conversation. "I'll be right back." Lucas excused himself from the room to greet his guests.

Peyton sucked in a deep breath, her hand locked with Nathan's as they entered Lucas's living room. The house was still the same as she remembered. Nothing had changed over the years, an indication that Lucas probably hadn't changed that much either.

Sitting on the couch was Brooke Davis. She looked just as beautiful as Peyton remembered, except that there were a few faded bruises scattered across her face. She looked vapid, like the life had been sucked right from her. Her hazel eyes did not shine and her dimples were not showing. Haley's arm was wrapped around her and as soon as Nathan and Peyton entered the room her head shot up.

"What the hell is this? Some kind of fucking intervention?" The anger and the pain in her voice, fueled by years of silence and unresolved differences, did not go unnoticed by Peyton.

"Brooke…" Peyton spoke and she tried to make her way over towards the distressed brunette. However, it was like she couldn't move. She was frozen.

"I don't wanna hear it Peyton!" she held her hand up angrily. "It's been five years and now you decide to contact me?"

"The phone goes two ways Brooke."

"I was waiting for you to contact me and I don't know maybe apologize for the pain that you put me through!" she roared, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "You can't just come back here and expect the pain that you caused to just magically erase itself. Whose idea was this?" he looked at Lucas and Haley expectantly, demanding an answer.

"Mine," Lucas answered coyly as he took in a deep breath, preparing himself for the wrath he was about to get. "I thought that maybe if you had all of your friends here to help you, the healing process might be easier…"

"Well you thought wrong," she growled as she stood up, turned around and headed for the backyard.

"I've got it," Lucas sighed as he slipped his shoes on and followed the broken brunette out the door.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked, his eyes shifting over towards the girl he was still madly in love with.

"I can't believe you would invite Peyton here after knowing all the pain that she has caused us in the past Lucas! God, how could you be so stupid?" She shook her head bitterly as he sat down next to her on the sand.

"I thought it would help Brooke…"

"Well, it won't. I cut Peyton from my life long after I gave up hope that she'd call."

"She's your best friend Brooke…"

"Correction Lucas, she was my best friend. I forgave her for stealing my boyfriend once but twice, that's too much to forgive."

"She didn't steal me Brooke. I never dated her after we broke up…"

"No," Brooke shook her head, brunette tresses falling into her face. "But she tried to date you. That doesn't make it right. I understand that she had feelings for you but she didn't even think about how I might feel before making a move on you."

"It's been five years Brooke. People change. She's willing to help you after five years of not talking and she's here now. Can't you just forgive her? You forgave me."

"It sounds to me like history is repeating itself. You give me speeches of love and convince me that I'm the one for you then you turn around and make it all about Peyton! Because, let's face it Lucas, it's always been about Peyton."

"That's not true," he shook his head and grabbed Brooke's chin, tilting it towards his. "I want you to know that Peyton will never be you. She will always be a dear friend but I do not have any feelings for her. It's never been about Peyton. It's always been about you. I wrote a book about our relationship for crying out loud Brooke!"

"Lucas… I want to believe you but I don't know if I can…"

"There you go again putting up those walls!" he shook his head before crashing his lips onto hers. It was a soft but sweet kiss that didn't last nearly long enough.

"Why?" she asked harshly as she momentarily closed her eyes and ran a finger across her lips. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I love you Brooke and I will do anything to show you that…"

"I can't Lucas. I have to get out of here." She could feel her head spinning as a wave of different emotions ran through her mind. Insecurity. Pain. Indecisiveness. Nostalgia.

She was running, when she felt her body collide with a muscular wall. She looked up and saw Nathan Scott standing before her, a slight smile on his face. "Hey," he grinned as he scratched is head. "Can we uh…talk?"

"Sure," she nodded her head towards the boy that had been her friend since she was a little girl. "Let's take a walk."

"I thought you were upset with me. I mean Haley said that you were really angry with me for leaving without a trace…"

"I was," he cut in as he ran a hand through his brunette locks. "God, I was so upset with you Brooke. You weren't there for me or my family during the hardest time of my life. I lost my dream, I lost my family and where were you? I needed you more than anything when I went through a divorce and learned that I may never be able to play basketball ever again. The two most important things in my life were ripped away from me and I didn't have my best friend to get me through the pain."

"Nate, I'm sorry… I didn't…"

"I get it Brooke; you had a life of your own but what about Jamie? Didn't you ever want to meet your godson? Do you know how hard it was explaining to him why he didn't know his Aunt Brooke?"

She swallowed a lump of guilt as she saw the pain flicker in Nathan's dull blue eyes. "I would love to meet him Nathan… I think I owe you that much."

"Why did you come if you're so upset with me?" she asked once they stopped walking.

"You're my best friend Brookie. I wouldn't have made it through the years without you as my crutch. When I had issues with Peyton, you were there to be the buffer between us. Without you, I wouldn't have met Haley. You helped me overcome my problems with Dan because you understood the position that I was in and you are the only person that has ever truly related to me. When I heard you were attacked, I had to come. You weren't there for me during my time of need and I won't do the same to you. I'm going to be here for you in your time of need."

"Nathan, come here," Brooke whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't here. I didn't even realize the pain that I had caused. But, I'm here now and I'm going to help you fix your marriage and become the person that I know you are."

Brooke sighed as she sat up in bed. After returning from her walk with Nathan, she had decided to take a little nap to help her relax because her emotions were still running on high. She pulled open the drawer beside her bed to grab her cellphone but found herself pulling an old tattered photo album out instead. She smiled as she flipped it open. There were pictures of her, Nathan, and Peyton when they had considered themselves to be the three musketeers. There were pictures of her and Lucas and her and Haley. There were pictures of the five of them and other pictures of her friends from High School. There were pictures of her and Millicent. She missed Millie so badly; she had become her most constant friend over the years. Then there were pictures of her and Julian. He was the first boy that she had let in after Lucas. He was her first relationship after her failed one with Chase. She closed her eyes and suddenly she was reminiscing about the time that she had met Julian.

She took a plane to somewhere out in space
To start a life and maybe change the world
See I never meant for you to have to crawl
No I never meant to let you go at all

xxxx

He's been incredibly lonely since he arrived in New York. It's been a few months and he still has yet to meet a real friend. He sits alone at a barstool in an upscale New York bar, nursing a drink when he sees her. Her unmistakably raspy voice is what captures his attention first. She's sitting at the end of the bar; laughing at something the bartender is saying and downing a copious amount of alcohol. She tilts her head to the side and smiles, which is something that he finds incredibly sexy. Two cherry red lips line two perfectly straight rows of pearly white teeth, accompanied by two gorgeous dime-sized dimples. Long chocolate tresses spill midway down her back, falling into slight waves and two almond shaped hazel eyes glisten. Despite the fact that she looks completely cheerful, he can tell that she is just as broken as he is. There is just something in her eyes that tell him she lives a fairly lonely life but is rather good at hiding it. Her body is perfect, he notes, as she leans forward. He gets a pretty good glimpse of her cleavage, which is enough to make any man salivate in his mouth. She catches him staring at her and shoots him a quick smile before swinging one skinny jean clad leg over the barstool and making her way towards him, her heels clicking against the floor.

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer," she teased as she slid onto the barstool next to him, her dimples in full swing.

He grunted and rolled his eyes at her before calling the bartender for another drink. "So you don't speak?"

"What do you want?" he asked rather rudely as he pushed his empty glass towards the bartender for a refill.

"I was just trying to make conversation. Judging by the way you were looking at me, I was beginning to think that you were lonely and maybe wanted some company… but I can just leave," she grumbled before swinging her legs over the barstool and preparing to leave.

"Wait," he closed his eyes as he spoke. "I'm just really bitter I guess. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Well now I'm intrigued," she shot him a look of interest before sinking back onto the barstool. "Why would a guy as handsome as yourself be so bitter? Bad breakup or something?"

"You think I'm handsome?" he shot her that ought-to-be-illegal grin that managed to get him into many hearts and beds in the past.

"I was just stating the obvious," she shrugged as her arm reached out to grab her shot glass. "But you didn't answer my question." She brought the shot glass to her lips, flung her head back, and allowed the alcohol to seep into her system. She sent him an elegant smile before reaching up to wipe the stray liquid from her mouth.

"Not quite. I didn't really want to relocate to New York for a few months for work. I'm not a fan of the city. I've been here two months and everyone is already so hostile. People in LA were so much friendlier."

"I hear you," she nodded in agreement. "I come from a small town in North Carolina, though I did live in LA for a few summers when I was younger, and New York is just too much. But my life is here and my dream is here so I don't have much other choice…"

"So what do you do for a living then?" he asked casually as he took a long swig of his drink, enjoying the buzz that was surging through his body.

"I'm a fashion designer," she shrugged. "I run a company called Clothes Over Bro's and the headquarters are situated in New York so being the CEO, I am required to live here."

"Wow," he let out a small whistle. "The CEO of a company at such a young age, that's impressive."

"And what do you do for a living Mr. Big Shot?" she teased with the raise of two perfectly plucked eyebrows.

"I'm a movie producer," he responded sheepishly, a boyish grin spreading across his handsome face. "You know gorgeous, you haven't given me a name yet."

"Wanna get out of here?" she suggested with the kink of an eyebrow.

"Well, I highly doubt that's your name," he chuckled. "And we just met, what makes you think I wanna get out of here with a stranger?"

"Well, I remember you saying that everyone in New York seems hostile and I was just trying to be friendly," she stated plainly as she stood up and reached for her tab.

She sent him a small smile before turning on her heel and pushing the large double door to the quiet bar open. As he watched her saunter away, his gut reaction was to chase after the intriguing and overly cheery brunette.

"Wait!" he called as he pushed the door open, spilling out into the crowded streets of New York. She was leaning against a lamp post, trying to get the attention of a taxicab driver.

She turned and sent him another gorgeous smile. "Change your mind much?"

"Where are we going?" he asked curiously as he hopped into the cab next to the stunningly spontaneous brunette.

"You'll see," she smirked as she rested her hands against the back of her head and let out a deep breath.

"Do you normally invite strangers into your home?"

"Depends," she smiled as she reached into her purse and pulled out her key. She slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open, revealing a beautiful and exceptionally large but strangely empty apartment.

"Nice place," he noted as he took in the surroundings around him. From what he could see she was a fairly tidy person and there wasn't much to her apartment except for the essentials and everything that she did have was top of the line.

"Want something to drink?" She broke him from his thoughts as she dropped her purse on the couch and slipped into the kitchen. "Wine?" she suggested as she reached into a cupboard and pulled an expensive bottle of wine out.

He nodded as he wiped his hands on his jeans nervously. He hadn't been this nervous around a girl in a very long time.

"Make yourself at home," she suggested as she poured two glasses of wine and jerked her head towards the couch.

"You still haven't given me a name yet," he smiled as he sunk onto the couch, her sliding in beside him.

"I like being mysterious," she whispered seductively in his ear as she took a sip of wine.

"Well you're a mystery alright," he chuckled as he turned to face her, a smile planted on his face. "Wanna play a game?"

"What kind of game?" she purred as she slid a little bit closer to him.

"A ten questions type of game. We take turns asking each other questions and we have to answer them about each other."

"I can go for that," she agreed as she flipped her brunette hair over her shoulder and set her wine glass down on the coffee table.

"Well a name would be a nice start," he suggested as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Brooke," she smiled as she offered her hand out for him to shake. "Brooke Davis."

"Pretty name," he grinned as he dropped her hand. "The name's Julian Baker."

"So where are you from?"

"Well," he sent her a small smile. "I'm from LA, born and raised. You?"

"Tree Hill," she smiled as she grabbed a photo album from the coffee table drawer and flipped it open. "These are my best friends from that town," she grinned as she ran her fingers along the faded pictures.

"It must be nice to still keep in contact with your high school friends," he offered her a smile as he noticed the look of nostalgia cross her face.

"We haven't kept in contact and it's mostly my fault," she looked down shamefully as she closed the album. "I pushed them away."

"I'm sorry," he said softly as he reached over and gently placed his hand on top of hers.

"It's okay," she shrugged as she wiped away a small tear from her eye.

"So…" he trailed on as he racked his brain for a question to ask the inexplicable brunette. "Have you ever been in love?"

It was a simple question but it took her by complete surprise.

"Once," she answered quietly as she traced imaginary patterns on her jean clad leg with a perfectly manicured fingernail. "It was in High School and I was sixteen when I fell in love with…"

"Let me guess this boy," Julian chuckled as he pointed to the blonde boy that had his arms wrapped around her in the picture of the opened photo album on the coffee table.

"What gave it away?" she chuckled as a wave of nostalgia hit her.

"I can just tell by the way you two look at each other," he shrugged as he closed the photo album. "What happened if you don't mind me asking?"

"We grew apart, stopped having meaningful conversations and when you have to question your love for someone you have a problem. I guess we were just headed in two different directions and it was for the best. I mean I was in High School, what did I know about love?" she chuckled bitterly as she gulped the rest of her drink down. "So have you ever been in love?"

"Never," he shook his head. "My parents had a bad marriage and I always told myself that I'd never let them dictate my happiness but I did. I put up these walls around my heart because I was so afraid of ending up like them. It was just easier to not let my guard down because then I couldn't get hurt. But now that I'm older, I'm ready to let those walls down," he smiled as he cocked his head towards her. "I just haven't found the right girl yet."

"You know, after Lucas I did the same thing. My parents were also trapped inside a bad marriage and I never believed in love until Lucas. After he broke my heart, I just shut everyone out. I haven't been in a serious relationship since because I'm scared to commit again, so I put up those walls. I'd like to break them down too," she smiled as she turned to him and moved closer towards him. Their lips were just mere inches apart when he pulled back and smiled.

"I really enjoyed talking to you Brooke. It was just what I needed but I should probably head home," he said as he glanced at the clock. "Maybe I could get your number and we can go out for dinner tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she smiled hopefully as she handed him her phone and allowed him to enter his information in it. "Well, I'll see you around," she smiled as she led him towards the door.

"I had a nice time tonight Brooke," he grinned as he leaned forward and slowly captured her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." With that he pulled the door open and sent her a grin before disappearing through the door.

She smiled as she pressed her fingers to her lips. Maybe she could finally move on and get over the fact that she was still completely hung up on Lucas. She knew that she couldn't hold on forever and it was about time she let go.

Brooke smiled as she pulled out of the memory. Julian had been a great boyfriend and he had been the first person that she had opened up to after breaking up with Lucas in high school. He was everything that she could hope for in a boy. He was smart, kind, funny, and above all, he was like her. He understood exactly what it was like to put up walls around your heart and he knew what it was like to have your best friend and love of your life sneak around behind your back. But he wasn't Lucas. And it didn't matter how hard she tried to pretend that he was, because nobody else could ever fill that empty void in her heart that ached for her first love. But it was nice while it lasted she thought as she closed the photo album and shoved it into the drawer beside her bed.

See my head aches from all this thinkin'
Feels like a ship God, God knows I'm sinkin'
Wonder what you do and where it is you stay
These questions like a whirlwind, they carry me away

xxxx

"Hey, can I come in?" A familiar voice drifted through the door, causing a frown to grace Brooke's face.

She didn't even wait for a reply before pushing the door open.

"Did I say you could come in?" the brunette asked rudely as she grabbed her blackberry and pretended to scroll through it busily.

"Look, Brooke, we need to talk okay?"

"Fine. Talk," Brooke growled without emotion as she folded her arms over her chest and stared into Peyton's green eyes. Fear. Pain. Regret. She could read Peyton like an open book.

"I'm sorry…"

Brooke snorted. "Sorry about what? That you tried to steal my boyfriend or that you never kept in contact over the last five years?"

"Both," she sighed, sitting herself on the edge of the bed. "How did we end up like this Brooke? We used to be best friends, we were like sisters and now I found out that you were attacked by Victoria through Lucas. I wish that it could have been you that told me. I just, I want our friendship back. I've changed Brooke, I'm not the same Peyton that I was in high school. I need my best friend and I know that she needs me too." Tears fell from her green eyes impetuously as she spoke.

"Peyton," Brooke whispered as she wrapped her arms around her ex-bestfriend, surprising both herself and the blonde. "I can forgive but I don't forget. I don't think we'll ever be the same. Too many years have gone by. Too many years that we've been torn apart and angry at each other."

"I think you're right Brooke," Peyton nodded her head in agreement. "We will never be the same and I caused that. I let a boy get in between us. But, I need you in my life. Even if it's just as a friend and not a best friend, I'm okay with that."

"It's gonna take time Peyton. I can't just trust you again okay? I can put this grudge behind us but I can't let you in all the way. Not yet."

"God, I've missed you ," she smiled as she ran her hand through her curly blonde locks. "And when you're ready to tell me what happened, I'll be here to listen."

"It was jealousy," she spoke, causing Peyton to turn her head in surprise. "She hired someone to attack me because she was jealous of the life that I had built. She was jealous that she didn't have it. I fired her and the next day I was attacked. Ironic don't you think?"

"Brooke…" she wrapped her arms around the sobbing brunette. "Victoria is a heartless bitch…"

"She's always made me feel like I'm not enough. I don't even know why my life is worth living anymore if I'm so fucking pathetic."

Fear overtook Peyton's mind as she listened to the brunette speak so coldly. It scared her. "Brooke… look at me," she demanded, turning the brunette's head to face her own. "I know that pleasing Victoria is the one goal you've always strived to achieve so I can understand where this anger is coming from but you can't let her dictate your happiness. You do have a reason to believe that your life is worth living. You have Lucas, and Haley, and Nathan, and me, and Jamie to live for. We are your family and we love you Brooke. That is why we are all here. We are putting high school grudges and years of silence and pain behind us to fix you. We all owe you that much."

"Thank you," the brunette mumbled as tears spilled from her eyes.

A small smile graced Lucas's face as he watched Peyton hold a crying Brooke. Today had been a major breakthrough even if it had dug up old wounds and caused pain.

Who will bring me flowers when it's over
And who will give me comfort when it's cold
And who will I belong to when the day just won't give in
And who will tell me how it ends and how it all begins

xxxx

"Hey," Lucas smiled into the phone as he glanced at the business card. "It's me, Lucas."

"Lucas. Hey man, what's up?"

"I thought about your offer and I'd like to take you up on it. All four of the major characters from the book are here and I think now would be a good time to get my life back on track. This could be it…"

"Great," Julian smiled as he rifled through some paperwork on his cluttered desk. "I can be in Tree Hill by next week to meet with you and start planning the film. I was thinking Tree Hill would be a good destination to film it considering that it is the town where it all happened."

"Sounds good," Lucas nodded as he wrote down the information. "I'll see you next week."

Julian smiled as he hung up the phone. He was going to get the one girl that he let slip away back.