Author's Note: Um.. so I guess I lied last summer when I said I was going to start updating quicker. But hey, I'm guessing you guys thought I wouldn't update at all! And what better a time than Christmas? I'm really, really sorry. I've had an interesting last few months and let's face it, OTH hasn't been much help. LP make me want to kill myself, and Lucas and Peyton just aren't the characters they were when the show began! So! Moving on. There are six chapters left, and I'm hoping inspiration will be nicer than it has been recently, and I'll get them out to you soon!

Thank you so much for all the reviews, and keep 'em coming! (Although I understand if you feel the need to punish me and not review.)

Oh, and this chapter is kind of.. well, you'll see. Things are different than you'll remember.

Also! A little shameless plug. I started a new story (which you should check out) called To Build a Home, and it's a definite BL. I think a lot of you BL-ers who are currently planning out my elaborate death will appreciate that one. It's AU, but when am I not? So read this, review, and then go read that! Hehe.

Movie Script Ending

Chapter Forty-two: Where Do I Begin?

It was the perfect time of fall. The leaves fell in colorful patterns on the ground, the sun still came out in the afternoon, and the wind sounded almost melodic as it blew past you.

The best part was being inside, where you were sure to have a warm cup of cocoa just waiting to be sipped at, and the heating was turned up full blast. The extra privileged families kept their pools heated, their fireplaces lit, never for a moment allowing themselves to fall into the abomination that was the feeling of discomfort.

Gabriella Scott looked outside the window of her playful, childlike bedroom. Drawings and paintings plastered the walls, dolls littered the floor, and the bedspread of her pink and red "big girl" bed was already made and ready for her, like it always was.

At just three--and a half, she would always remind you-- years old, she was already showing signs that she'd ultimately grow to be as beautiful as her mother. Her hair fell in dark rings around her shoulders, soft in the way only a child's hair can be. Her nose was small and button-like, while her bone structure was already sculpted beneath the baby fat that was sure to encompass it. Her dimpled cheeks were wide and happy, her chin small and rounded. It was her eyes that glittered though, the part of her that always made anyone she met stop to take a double look. Large and shaped just like her mother's, and piercingly ice blue. From her father, people said. Her mother, however, often argued that her eyes did not belong to her father. They'd cuddle in bed and Brooke would kiss her temple and whisper, "Those eyes are all yours, baby."

Snow, she was thinking. When would the snow come? Truthfully, she didn't see the point in cold if there was no snow. She reached a palm out, pressing it against the cool pane of the glass. The cold against her warm body caused her to shiver, and impulsively, she leaned forward, pressing her lips and mouth against the glass, giggling at how strange it felt.

"Gabby," a voice sounded from behind her, startling her. "What are you doing, silly girl? It's time for dinner."

Gabriella smiled at her nanny, Cecilia. For as long as she could remember, Cecilia had been her closest friend. They did a lot together, especially when her mommy and daddy were going out, or if her daddy was away, or if her mommy wanted to be left alone. She knew Ceci, who had long, pretty black hair, had a family of her own, but to Gabriella, she was apart of her family.

"Ceci," she said, "when do you think it will snow?"

Cecilia shrugged, coming to the window and lifting Gabriella up into the air. The girl protested in giggles and shrieks. "Come on, mija. Tu mamá te quiere comer la cena ahora.."

They descended the stairs, walking through the house to the kitchen. Once they'd reached the kitchen, Cecilia gingerly dropped Gabriella into the new dining-table Lucas had had built in the year before.

The house had in fact made several changes to accommodate Gabriella. If you had walked in here three and a half years ago, shortly after her birth, the house would have had a different atmosphere. Now, there was the jungle gym and swing set outside, there were the toys that littered the ground, the G-rated movies in every room. There was the constant living of the house. There was always a fairy-tale to be acted out, a game of freeze tag to play, play-dates with the children of neighbors. Gabriella had brightened up the Scott household considerably, and would not let anyone forget it.

"Where's mama and daddy?" Though she didn't typically eat with her parents, they were usually around the house somewhere. Tonight, she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen either of them.

As if summoned, the familiar click of Brooke Scott's heels echoed through the hallway, coming towards them. She entered the kitchen in a flustered mess of perfection. Hastily fastening in an earring, she entered in search of her cell phone, eyes never making it to her daughter's.

"Cecilia, have you seen my phone?" She asked, circling the counter.

"Mama, come here," Gabriella spoke up, arms open, waiting for a kiss.

Brooke smiled briefly, approaching her daughter quickly and placing a quick kiss on the top of her head. Gabriella inhaled deeply, the smell of her mother's perfume lingering even after she'd walked back to the counter. Brooke's hair was curled, framing her face. She wore a black dress that cut to her thighs, pearls fastened around her neck. She looked elegant, as she always did; beautiful.

Lucas entered then, in a suit, in pursuit of his car keys. His eyes locked on Brooke for a moment as he watched her flip through the mail on the counter, and then, swallowing, he looked away. His eyes landed on his daughter and he approached her with a grin, lifting her off the counter and tickling her.

"Lucas," Brooke said, almost impatiently. "We have to go."

He nodded, placing a final kiss on Gabriella's head. "You better be in bed when we get back, you little monster."

"Where are you going?" Gabriella complained, tugging at his shirt with a pout.

"Mommy and daddy are going to dinner."

"I want to go!"

"Gabby," Cecilia placed her hands on her hips in mock hurt. "But what about the wonderful meal I made you?"

Chin trembling, eyes threatening to water, Gabriella sat back down, resting her chin on her small hand and sniffling loudly.

Lucas stroked her hair, watching as Brooke approached Cecilia. A little known fact about Brooke was that, having grown up with nannies from Spanish-speaking countries her entire life, she was nearly fluent in Spanish, and spoke in a beautiful, well-accented tone.

He himself could not understand what she was saying, but every so often, the two girls would laugh, or Brooke would nod in understanding as Cecilia replied to her.

Try as he might, he could simply not stop himself from staring. If possible, Brooke had managed to stop the aging process in its steps, instead, remaining as flawless as ever. It was amazing to him how she looked, sometimes. Especially now, in her black, cocktail dress. He bit his cheek, wanting to simply grab her and kiss her. But they hadn't been that kind of couple for a long time.

Finally, Brooke kissed Cecilia on the cheek, then gestured towards him. "Let's go," she said, before rushing to place a quick kiss on Gabriella's--who was still, bless her heart, pouting away-- forehead. "Have fun, sweetie."

"Don't leave!" Gabriella burst.

This happened often with her. She had severe separation anxiety from both of her parents, probably because there were many times where both weren't around. Lucas tried to be as attentive a parent he could, but he sometimes wondered if Brooke took the job as seriously. Immediately after thinking this thought, he mentally scolded himself, watching as Brooke reasoned with the girl, promising she could go to bed a half hour later than usual.

Still, as they left, Gabriella whimpered and whimpered, eventually managing to be lured back to the table by the television being turned on.

In the car, the couple rode in silence, the only noise being the whirring of the air conditioning in the car, shooting warm air towards them.

Lucas checked his watch. "Damnit."

Brooke turned to face him. "What?"

"We're late again. We're always the last people to get there."

Brooke laughed. "Well, everyone expects it from us, anyway. Plus, it's not like we're going to some important meal. It's just dinner with friends."

"Still. For once, I'd like to be the first people there. Just to shock them."

"Sweetie, if showing up on time is meant to shock people, we are very, very boring people."

He looked over to smile at her, but she was gazing out the window. Sometimes he couldn't help but notice how sad she looked. It didn't even seem like there was a particular reason, most of the time. She just seemed to be in such a faraway trance, as if she were hoping she were somewhere else. It scared him, terrified him, even. He wondered if one day she would pick up and leave him. The thought of it was too difficult to even begin to imagine, so instead, he always tried to push down the feeling, reminding himself that they had a daughter together, that she could not just pick up and leave.

"I wish it would snow," she said in a voice just above a whisper, and he looked out through the windshield.

"I don't think it's going to snow. It's just not cold enough this year."

"Have some optimism, Luke." She smiled at him in a way that reminded him of when they were young, and he felt his heart flutter.

"Okay." He swallowed.

It saddened him that he couldn't reach over and squeeze her knee without feeling slightly nervous. Like perhaps she would brush away his hand. Since Gabriella's birth, there had been this invisible wall between them. There was nothing he could do to knock it down. He had no idea, not the slightest clue, how it had gotten there. And somehow, he felt like that was the problem.

"I hope Nathan doesn't bring that girl again. God, she was awful." Lucas groaned out loud. She really had been. Not only annoying and obnoxious, but she'd ordered half the menu, and hadn't even offered to chip in.

This got his wife's attention. "I know, right? Where was she from, she had the worst accent. Like.. somewhere in the East.."

"Boston.."

"..or Philadelphia.."

"Maybe it was Chicago. She said something about deep dish pizza." He recalled, crinkling his nose.

Brooke laughed, her eyes on him now. He turned to look at her, and for a moment he could see that she still loved him. That not all hope was lost. "I was just going to say that," she said, almost shyly, her beautiful grin wide and real.

As the restaurant came into view, he almost cursed it. He wanted to have started this conversation earlier in the car ride, he wanted to talk more, just the two of them.

He remembered they were late, and wished they would have been later.

-

They were at their usual table. Peyton with her crazy, blonde curls, Jake with the smile voted "most beautiful" in high school, and Nathan being.. well, Nathan. Everything wrong and right in the world at the same time. Just as he'd always been.

They'd started doing this dinner about eight months earlier. It was hard staying in contact with friends when you had a child or work, and having scheduled dinners seemed to be the only thing that stuck. It was nice, getting together with the old group. Familiar. Even with all the secrets that hung in the air between them, threatening to spill all over the table, there was still a certain comfort they found in the company of each other. They were all oldest friends, and nothing, no secrets, would change that.

"Well," Peyton beamed at the sight of her two friends. "Look who decided to show up only ten minutes late."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd pick tonight to be almost on time." He reached for his wallet, handing a crisp twenty dollar bill over to Peyton, who jauntily took it and placed a kiss on his cheek in return.

Nathan smiled up at his brother and his brother's wife, a small smile that reminded Brooke of their daughter, even in all its differences. While Nathan's was small and fake, Gabriella had the happiest version of his smile. The smile that he saved only for the best occasions of his life. She could remember that night in the snow, years ago, when they had wrestled and danced, and how he had smiled at her so bravely, so freely. They had not known then what would become of them, and she felt sorry for the boy he'd been, unknowing of his ruined future. How strong he was now, she thought. He sat there and talked and laughed and pretended to be happy for the sake of his brother, and for her, even, when inside, he was a mess. He lived a lie and so did she, but at least she got the benefits of it.

The couple sat at the circular table, which had already been served its bread and butter. Their friends had also ordered drinks, and Brooke noticed that at the sight of them, Nathan had swallowed a huge gulp of his beer.

Over the past few years, he hadn't aged much at all. He was still as handsome as she could remember him being. There were still a couple months left until his 30th birthday, but if you didn't know him, you might guess he was in his early twenties. He still worked out plenty, and his arms showed it, bulging through the white button-up he wore.

Jake wore his age more obviously. The drama of searching for his daughter and then finally returning to Peyton had worn him out, and his laugh lines blended in with his worry lines in a way that made him look only sweeter. Peyton was as beautiful as Brooke could remember her being. Her hair the bright blonde it had been during their junior year, and her signature curls had never bothered to straighten themselves out. She wore a strapless white dress that reminded Brooke of the dress she'd worn to her and Jake's wedding, just two years prior. The ceremony had been beautiful, and Brooke had cried buckets. She was not sure if it was how beautiful Peyton had looked that day--so much like her mother--or how happy she had looked with Jake. Brooke had looked over at Lucas as the couple had said their "I do's" and she had wanted to ask him if, given the chance, he would take back their own vows.

"I'm thinking I want steak tonight." Peyton mused, flipped through the menu she already knew by heart. This was something she did. Ultimately, she would go with the chinese chicken salad and side of steamed vegetables, as she always did.

Nathan nodded. "Me too."

Peyton laughed. "Nathan, you're such a typical man. I don't mean, like, man-or-woman man, I mean, man. Let's-go-hunting-I'll-grab-the-beers man."

Nathan ran his hands through his hair, a motion that made Brooke shiver in her seat, and chuckled. "If you say so, Peyton."

"What about me?" Jake whined. "I'm a man."

"Men don't complain." Lucas puffed out his chest.

"Baby, you are definitely the manliest man I have ever met." Peyton beamed, kissing his neck. It was a motion that made Jake blush, and Brooke couldn't help but smile. He certainly was a man. A few months before, she and Peyton had gotten very drunk and Peyton had admitted to Brooke that Jake was the only person who could really keep her on her toes. Lucas, she'd said, was very tender and sweet. But it was Jake who would slam her against a wall in passion or kiss her so hard she felt it throughout her entire body. For a moment, Brooke had wondered what it would be like to kiss Jake, and had remembered a moment in middle school when they almost had. If she had married Jake, she reasoned, her life would have ended up far less complicated. But it was too late now.

She spoke up. "I think I want the tortellini."

Nathan shook his head. "Didn't you say it made you feel sick last time you had it?"

It was rare for him to address her during these dinners, and she felt her heart begin to pick up its pace. He made her so nervous sometimes. "Oh, r-right," she stuttered. "I guess I'll have the chicken."

Lucas nodded. "I'm going to have the chicken, too."

As the waiter came by and took their orders, Brooke noticed Nathan smile at her from across the table. It was a peace offering, she realized. He wanted them to be okay. She smiled back.

"Um.. you know, I think I'll just have the chinese chicken salad with.. um.. a side of steamed vegetables," Peyton said.

-

They were waiting outside for the valets to bring their cars around.

Brooke's coat was wrapped tightly around her and as the cold wind hit her, she rocked back and forth. "I'm freezing," she said under her breath, seemingly to no one in particular.

"It's because you have no body fat," Jake spoke in a factual manner. "The less body fat you have, the more naturally cold you are."

She blinked. "You're a freak."

"Hey, it's just common sense.."

"I'm kidding with you, Jake." She hip-bumped him playfully.

Nathan bit his lip. "I kind of have an announcement."

This got the attention of Brooke and Jake, who were standing in the middle of the group of friends, and also Peyton and Lucas, who were on the outskirts of either side.

"I was going to tell you earlier, but I just couldn't find the words to say it for some reason."

"What is it, Nate?" Lucas frowned, looking worried.

"Well, as all of you know, I've been kind of.. a hermit the past few years. I only see you guys occasionally and I'm always busy yet.. I don't seem to have a really time-consuming job."

"I always figured you were planning a bank job or something." Peyton joked.

Nathan made a face. "Anyway, I've been kind of working on this architectural design of an upper class apartment complex for the past few years. It's taken a lot of effort and has just been really, really time-consuming. But I finally finished about two and a half months ago, and I've been pitching the idea to all these big shot companies... and yesterday I got the news that it's going to be bought and built."

There was a general air of excitement, as Jake clapped him on the back and Lucas exclaimed, "That's great, man. I had no idea. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

He shrugged. "It was kind of a long-shot for a while there. But now that it's a sure thing, I'm going to be involved a lot. I'm finally going to be making money and probably getting more jobs."

"Making money is always a good thing," Peyton grinned. "I'm so proud of you, Nate. I always knew you had it in you to be great."

"Really? Even when I crashed your car that one time?" The group laughed, remembering for a moment how much simpler life had been back then.

Jake and Peyton's car pulled up, and the couple gave him their last congratulations before leaving. Nathan waved at them as they left, wishing he could go with them. Jake and Peyton's was always a nice place to be. Especially when it compared to being here with his brother and ex-lover.

"I'm so proud of you, Nathan. If anyone deserves this, it's you." Lucas told him with sincere eyes, and he swallowed.

"Oh, I don't know," his eyes flickered over to Brooke, who was looking anywhere but at the two of them.

"No, really, little brother. I'm really happy for you. I mean, this is great. Your dream is finally coming true!"

"I guess," Nathan laughed nervously, feeling thankful when Brooke and Lucas' car rolled up.

The couple made their way to the car, and before Lucas reached the driver's side, he said, "Let's go out tomorrow. Just the two of us. Celebrate!"

"Alright, man, sounds good." Nathan nodded with a smile.

Brooke paused as she reached the passenger side, slowly turning to look at him. The cold air hung between them and she smiled at him in a way he did not recognize. For a moment, he realized that if someone were watching them, they would know instantly of the affair. They would know there was something strong between these two people, and almost magnetic pull. He tried to tear his eyes away but found he could not, so instead he did not fight it.

"I always knew you could do it," she told him, and he knew that if there was anyone that had ever truly believed in him, it was not Lucas or Haley or his parents, but her. He took the compliment in and shuffled his feet nervously.

"Thanks," he said and nodded his head, wishing he could tell her how life-changing this was for him. How he'd woken up that morning for the first time in years and actually felt something akin to happiness.

"Bye Nathan."

And she was gone. And whatever sense of happiness he'd been feeling before rushed away from his body along with her.