Author's Note: Sorry updates have been taking so long lately. I'm getting so overwhelmed with school. And I've recently become obsessed with High School Musical. And of course, it's hard to update and have a steady social life. But I'm going to try to update more frequently. This chapter was just a little hard to write.

But there's a little something in there for all those BL-ers who've been sticking with me, but have been secretly hoping for my death. Thank you and please review!

Movie Script Ending

Chapter Thirty-One: Could We Change the Subject Now?

It was late, so they spoke in hushed whispers, despite the fact that the cabin's size was so large they could probably scream and would probably not be heard.

Brooke and Lucas lay close together, her still breathing heavily from what they'd been doing moments before, him stroking her hair, her arms, her back, all so soft.

"Lucas," She said softly. Her mind was saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to ruin us. I always loved you so much more than you loved me. I'm sorry,' but he did not hear this, and he simply smiled at her so beautifully that she wanted to cry.

He kissed the tip of her nose, and then her forehead, and slowly pushed his lips against hers, so passionately that when he pulled away she was left breathless and in awe.

The room was very dimly lit by candles, but as she allowed her fingers to touch his face, she felt she could see him clearly. She ran her fingers down the bridge of his crooked nose, over his cheekbones she'd always loved, landing on his plump lips, still swollen from her own.

"I love you so much," He said to her, and it was then that she began to weep, because she was not sure how she felt for him anymore, and it was only because she had forgotten over the years that he'd cared for her. He hadn't shown her what she'd needed to be shown and she had let herself move on.

She looked into his eyes and she saw Nathan's. She wanted to die so that she'd be free of this misery. In her heart she felt something so deeply for Lucas that she could not explain, but she was no longer sure it was love.

When she was with Nathan, she felt love. She felt like she was with her best friend, someone who understood her completely, all while being a mystery. Lucas, she knew, but she did not know him as well as she had before. They were hardly together these days.

He drifted asleep in her arms, still kissing her every so often until finally she could tell by his breathing patterns that he was out.

"I could have loved you forever if you had let me." She said so quietly to him that even she herself did not hear it.

--

Peyton couldn't help but laugh as she spotted her boyfriend and Nathan sitting quietly at the dining table, both looking incredibly uncomfortable as they munched on their Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops respectively.

When Dave looked up and saw her, he visibly relaxed incredibly, smiling widely at her.

"Boy, you guys seem to be having fun." She laughed and Nathan shot her a look.

"Oh come on, it's not that big of a deal. Of course it's going to be awkward. You two don't know each other, and Nathan and I dated for three years in high school." She shrugged, pouring herself a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats.

Dave frowned, looking over at her. "You two dated? For three years?"

Suddenly, Peyton was the one looking uncomfortable, and Nathan was the one suppressing his laughter, doing a surprisingly better job than her.

"Uh, well yeah. But it was high school. He was a jerk."

"Hey!"

"Seriously?" Peyton arched an eyebrow, and Nathan nodded after a moment, now looking over at Dave.

"It's true. I was an ass."

Dave chuckled. "What made you change?"

Peyton and Nathan made eye contact for a fleeting moment and Peyton thought back to the days when Haley had been tutoring Nathan. As both of them stuttered for words, Dave looked between them, then looked back down at his cereal.

"Forget I asked."

They began to eat once more, in a painfully awkward silence. Nathan laughed quietly after a moment, looking at Peyton. "Way to make it less awkward, Sawyer."

"Shut up, Scott."

The trio shared a laugh, and suddenly conversation flowed much easier.

When Lucas entered the room, taking a seat beside Nathan, the only person who seemed to notice the falter in conversation was Nathan, seeing as how he'd been in the one to falter.

Lucas and Dave had indulged themselves in a conversation of the land the cabin was situated on, and Nathan had long since zoned out, staring at his cereal, watching the fruit loops become more and more soggy with each second that passed.

"So, what do you think, Nathan?" He looked up to meet Dave's gaze.

"Sorry, what?"

Lucas piped in. "Me and Dave are going to go quad riding in an hour or so. Wanna go?"

Spending more time with Lucas than he had to? No thanks.

"You know, the weather says it's going to rain.."

Peyton puffed out her bottom lip, doing her best imitation of a puppy dog. "Aw, and is yittle Natey afwaid of a yittle wain?"

He crinkled his nose. "No, I just don't really feel up to it. I think I'll stay behind."

"Alright." Lucas shrugged.

"You guys are so lucky. Rachel's dragging me off shopping." Peyton rolled her eyes.

Dave laughed. "Why don't you just say no?"

"Because! Because, she's being nice enough to let us stay in this gorgeous place. I can't just say no when she asks me to go grocery shopping with her."

"Well, at least Brooke will be there."

Lucas shook his head, draining the last of his cereal. "Nope. When Rachel asked her, she flat-out said no and then went to take a shower."

"Typical Brooke. Never one to be fake." Peyton nodded with a laugh.

So it would just be Nathan and Brooke left behind. Nathan was seconds away from agreeing to go quad-riding. This would no go well.

--

The clouds were already turning gray when Lucas and Dave set off, laughing as they disappeared into the forest behind Rachel's cabin. Peyton pulled her curly locks up into a loose bun as she and Rachel approached Dave's car, and she looked back at Brooke with a pleading smile.

"Come on, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, no thanks." Brooke didn't even crack a smile, sitting at the edge of the porch steps in a long, summery dress that would now go to waste because of the rain.

Peyton sighed. "I kind of hate you."

"Aw, I love you too. Have fun!" She went back into the house, hearing the car drive off in the distance. Her gaze lingered on an Elle magazine that sat at the counter, and she longed to delve inside it, but she knew it would be no use. Her mind would be running in moments, and she would be back to square one. She declared to herself that she'd been stupid for not going with Peyton and Rachel, but she knew that if she had gone, Rachel would have probably come home with a black eye. So maybe this was for the better.

After a moment's hesitation, she grabbed the magazine, plopping herself down on one of Rachel's plush leather couches. A movement outside however, caught her eye, and she looked outside the window, frowning. Nathan was trying to push a small row-boat out into the river, but it did not seem to be working, as it was chained to the dock.

Throwing the magazine down, she quickly made her way outside, bare-footed and sure to regret it later.

"Nathan!" She called. "Nathan, what the hell are you doing?"

He turned to look at her. "What does it look like I'm doing."

Rain droplets began to fall, and she shivered, wrapping her arms tightly around her small frame.

"It's raining. You're wasting your time."

"I don't mind the rain, Brooke." He was speaking to her like he had when they'd been in high school and he'd been particularly rude, thinking her, like others, to be a brainless slut. His demeaning tone made her want to slap him.

"Well, obviously not. Whatever. Freeze your ass off. I don't care." She turned, beginning to walk off the dock towards the house, when his voice stopped her.

"You shouldn't care. It's not like we're a couple or anything." His voice had her turning on her heel and making her way rapidly towards him. She pushed him as hard as she could, but he did not budge.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way." She choked out, trying to push him once more.

"God, what am I even doing here? I shouldn't be here! This," he gestured between them, "is ridiculous. This should not be happening."

It was raining so hard now that she had to squint to look up at him, and the rain still managed to sting her eyes.

"You are ridiculous! Don't you dare talk to me as if I mean nothing to you!"

"You do mean nothing to me," She slapped him hard across the face, but it didn't compare to the rain falling around them, which was sure to leave red marks across their bodies.

She was sobbing now, and he felt himself weaken. "We can't do this, Brooke!"

"I can't believe you would tell me I mean nothing to you. I can't believe.." She had trailed off, using her hands to cover his face.

"Of course I'm going to say that!" Nathan shouted. "Don't you understand? You mean everything to me. I can't lose you, but it seems so much harder this way! Sneaking around, hurting Lucas.."

She felt like she might be sick, but as she looked up to really gaze into his eyes, her heat melted. She stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him, and he wrapped his arms so tightly around her, she felt he'd never let go.

He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, breaking contact with his lips only to kiss his forehead and nose and jaw, just to breathe him in.

They entered the cabin soaking wet, and as he placed her gently on the ground. She whimpered to be back in his arms, and he pushed her up against the entrance wall, her wet body leaving a print on the old wallpaper. He kissed her neck, roughly tugged off her dress.

They were an interesting duo, stumbling towards the first bedroom they could find, stripping off clothes as they went.

As he laid her down on the bed, he placed butterfly kisses down her naked stomach, then came back up to meet her lips once more.

"They'll be home soon," She managed to get out, moaning softly as she said it.

He nodded wordlessly, and entered her just as quietly. As they writhed in the bed together, with heat and passion like she'd never felt before, Brooke found herself feeling something close to euphoria.

Later, she'd remember watching a documentary about the dangers of the cold. How when you were freezing to death, you'd feel euphoria the minute before your death. Everything would be okay for a moment, and then you would die.

--

Gloved hands interlaced, with their boots stomping heavily along, Peyton and Dave entered the ski shop, giggling and poking and teasing each other as they did. Peyton's hair had decided to curl even more than it naturally did, allowing Dave lots of room to make jokes.

As they entered the shop, both couldn't help but sigh happily at the sudden warmth the shop held. Though the trip had been up at Rachel's cabin, Dave and Peyton had decided, the next day, to drive just a few hours up the mountain to where it was still snowing.

They hadn't been expecting it to be as cold as it was however, which had called for a little stop in the ski shop for some warmer clothing.

"Hey Brillo Pad," Dave called over to his girlfriend, who turned to him with a scowl. "You want another hat? Looks like that one can't get all the hair in.."

"Hey Jackass," Peyton countered with a smirk. "You want sex? Like, ever..?"

"Fair enough." Dave pulled her close, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose, which had managed to stay fairly pale despite the cold.

"Peyton?"

Both heads turned towards the voice, and Peyton furrowed her brow at the sight of the man before them. Blonde, spiky hair, strangely shaped green eyes, and lips the size of--

"Mouth!"

The man laughed, looking much older than his twenty-something years. "It's Marvin now."

Peyton pulled her old friend into a hug. Though she was sure she'd seen him at Tim's New Years party, they hadn't actually talked. "I can't believe you go by Marvin now," She murmured, pulling away from him and unconsciously lacing her fingers with Dave's.

"Yeah. Well, Mouth didn't really work when I was trying to be a serious business man."

"Was?" Had he retired already? Mouth wasn't even thirty yet.

"Well, I work from home now," He explained. "I don't really have to go into the office anymore." He gave a little shrug.

Peyton couldn't help but laugh. "What? Are you like, the next Bill Gates or something?"

Hands shoved deep into his pockets, Mouth raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I'm richer than Bill Gates."

--

As the cabin door opened, Brooke and Rachel, who'd been setting the dinner table, allowed their mouths to hang open in surprise.

"We ran into an old friend at the ski shop, and decided to bring him home for dinner." Peyton announced cheerfully, having long since gotten over the fact that Mouth was close to being the richest man in the world.

"Oh my God, Mouth!" Brooke ran into her old friend's open arms, still the only person that didn't know of his long-harbored crush on her.

Nathan and Lucas revealed themselves, coming out from the kitchen into the dining room. Lucas gave the man a surprised hug, happy to see someone he'd been best friends with just a few years ago.

"What are you doing up here?" Brooke crossed her arms over her chest, the air growing slightly cold with the new arrivals.

"Oh, I just came down to do a little skiing. Ran into Peyton and Dave, and they thought I should come over to catch up. I couldn't refuse." He was still as skinny as ever, but he'd long since grown out of his shy phase, that much was obvious. Money could do that to you, Brooke supposed.

Rachel smiled seductively. "You know, I read an article about you somewhere that said you were really rich."

"Richer than Bill Gates." Peyton piped up.

Mouth simply shrugged, clearly un-phased by this fact. "Well, I may be a millionaire, but I'm still starving. What's for dinner?"

--

The night was going exceptionally well, Lucas thought to himself as he observed the dinner table. Everyone was conversing, and even Rachel and Brooke were being somewhat polite to each other. Plus, Mouth's surprise visit had made the night even better, because everyone was having the chance to catch up. Plus, the guy certainly had some interesting stories to tell.

"Mouth!" Brooke was gasping, eyes wide. "You got caught with a hooker?!"

"In my defense, I didn't know she was a hooker." His shoulders were shaking with laughter.

Nathan snorted. "Yeah, dude, oldest trick in the book."

"Yeah, plus, didn't the fact that she kept saying, 'Well, that's going to cost you extra' tip you off a little bit?" Peyton grinned.

"I thought she was kidding!" The innocence that had been there where they were teenagers still reflected through Mouth, hooker aside.

Everyone was laughing, everyone was having a good time. This was really working out well. The conversation continued on and on. Everyone discussed Mouth, and then themselves, and finally, devastatingly, Mouth turned to Brooke and Lucas and said, "Last I heard, you two were having a baby. So, how is it?"

The table went quiet, the smiles falling from almost everyone's faces. Brooke had turned a ghost white, so Lucas took it upon himself to say, "We um, we lost the baby."

"Oh God," Mouth swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know -- I wouldn't have brought it up--"

"It's fine." Brooke shook her head, her eyes staying trained to her food. From underneath the table, Nathan reached over and squeezed her hand. Lucas, on her other end, did the same.

The table went silent, and Lucas cursed the Gods for ruining what he'd thought had been a nice dinner.

Rachel's next words could not have helped matters any less. "So, what exactly happened?"

Brooke's jaw clenched. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Come on," Rachel pressed. "I think we'd all really like to hear."

"Actually," Peyton spoke, her fists in balls, ready to pounce on Rachel at any second. "It's really none of your business, Rachel. Just because you invited us on this trip, doesn't mean you get to know every detail of our personal lives."

"I believe I was asking Brooke. And I'm not asking to be mean or play games. I'm genuinely curious."

Mouth was turning red, probably feeling guilt over having been the one to start this particular topic.

Nathan shook his head. "Just shut up, Rachel."

"What? You can ask Mouth about his legal troubles, but we can't ask Princess Brooke about a traumatic event that occurred in her life? God, if it's that big of a deal--"

"What do you mean, if it's that big of a deal," Brooke was now speaking for herself, tears shining in her eyes. "I lost my child in the worst of ways. You have no idea what I've been through, so don't chastise me, Rachel."

With that, the brunette pushed her chair away from the table, storming up the stairs towards her and Lucas' room.

--

The next morning, after receiving several apologizes from Rachel (who had not known the full extent of Brooke's miscarriage,) Brooke decided she'd spend the last day of the trip being completely self-involved. She'd relax in the hot tub, maybe ask Lucas or Peyton for a massage, and eat as much sugar as she could find before passing out early.

Her plan was disrupted however, as she was changing into her bathing suit.

"Going swimming?" She turned to see her husband, coffee in one hand and newspaper in the other, watching her with an amused smirk.

"I'm taking a dip in the hot tub." She shrugged her robe on, tying it tightly, almost self-consciously.

He placed his coffee down on the dresser, crossing his arms. "Well, we were all going to go skiing. Where Peyton and Dave went yesterday. Apparently it was really fun. I thought maybe you'd want to come?"

She pretended to think for a minute. "Uh, no thanks. I'll just stay behind."

"Brooke," He sighed. "It's our last day here."

"Yeah," she nodded. "And I want to spend it relaxing. What's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I just thought you'd want to spend it with your friends. And me."

She didn't need to have another fight. Not right now. "Lucas, I'm tired, okay? I just want to relax in the Jacuzzi. But you can go skiing. Have fun. I'll see you later."

"You know, we've barely spent time together this entire trip."

"We live together!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I'm sure we'll spend tons of time together once we're home."

He made a face. "Brooke. You know that's not what I mean. What's going on with you?"

She heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired."

"That's okay. I'm sorry, I--"

"No, it's our last day. If you really want me to go, I'll go." She knew that it was conniving, but she already had known what Lucas' response would be before she'd even offered.

And sure enough, Lucas said: "No, it's okay. Just relax. Have the place to yourself for the day. Reality will set in tomorrow."

She walked towards him slowly, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thanks, sweetie. I hope you guys have fun."

He smiled uneasily. "Yeah, you too."

--

"Where's Brooke?" was of course, Peyton's first question as Lucas stepped out of the house, pulling his jacket on.

"She's uh, she's tired. She's staying behind." He shrugged, making his way towards the passenger seat of the car, closing the door before she could ask him another question.

Peyton crossed her arms, looking over at the large cabin. She had a clear view of the Jacuzzi, where her best friend was lowering herself into. She watched as Brooke relaxed into the tub, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Something was not right with her friend. Something bigger than the thing that had happened the night before at dinner.

And despite her best efforts, Peyton was sure that her best friend would not tell her what was wrong. Not unless she figured it out on her own.