Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters...I own nothing but this story's plot!!!

Epilogue:

The Heart Brings You Back

Brooke and her little family had been back in L.A. for two weeks and they were slowly starting to settle back into a routine. Brooke had returned to work, hesitantly, but she was still there nonetheless. And Nate was there to help her readjust. Rachel was starting her cosmetology school program, and actually still seeing Dean. She had already flown back to Charlotte once to visit with him. And Olivia was turning back into the happy girl she always was, especially now since she got to call back to Tree Hill and talk to Jamie whenever she wanted.

There was just one thing that was still bothering Brooke, the little matter of telling Olivia about her father. She had been putting it off and putting it off, always telling herself it wasn't the right time. But finally that excuse was seemingly to wear itself out, as she figured there would never be a right time, and if she kept stalling she would end up doing so forever. And this wouldn't be fair to her daughter, or to Lucas. So tonight, she was planning on a mother-daughter dinner and a heart-to-heart…well, as close to a heart-to-heart as you can actually have with a three year-old.

Brooke got home from work later that day, and decided to tell Rachel her plans, planning on receiving a totally tongue-lashing on how this was not what she should be doing. But she was met with a surprising response.

"I agree, I totally think you should tell her," Rachel said, taking another bite of the piece of celery she was munching on.

"You what?" Brooke asked, shocked. "I thought you would be trying to talk me out of this, like Nate was."

"And there's your problem," Rachel said, pointing the celery stick at her friend. "Thinking," she joked.

"Haha," Brooke pretended to laugh. "I'm serious Rachel."

"And so am I," Rachel countered. "Trust me. As someone who has been here beside you through this whole thing, I think it is the right thing to do for not only Olivia, but for yourself."

"Me? What's right for me has nothing at all to do with the situation," Brooke argued. "This is all for Olivia."

Rachel raised her eyebrows skeptically at her friend. "And if you actually believe that you are seriously naïve. It has so much to do with you. And the moment you tell her your life is going to completely change."

"I know that," Brooke told her. "I know things will be different and Olivia will want to see her father, just like he already wants to see her. The only thing I'll have to get used to is having some time away from my baby, which trust me, I think is going to be the hardest part."

"Are you sure the hardest part is not going to be coping with having your seriously-still-hung-up-on-you ex back in your life?" Rachel asked. "Because you know the moment you tell her, he's not only in her life, but yours too."

Brooke just looked at Rachel; man this girl could make a freaking fortune off of reading her mind. Brooke was of course worried about all the things she was mentioning, but she was more worried about dealing with Nate in the situation than Lucas.

"I'm sure," Brooke answered her confidently. Sure she had things she was worried about, and she hadn't totally worked out all the kinks in the arrangement, but it was going to work, it had to. "I emailed Lucas and told him, so I'm really going through with it this time. And he said he would be on the first plane out tomorrow to come see Olivia and try to smooth anything out if need be."

"Okay," Rachel told her, walking over and giving Brooke a hug. "I think you're doing the right thing, Brookie. You'll see," she added once they pulled away.

"Thanks, I need your support," Brooke answered with a big smile.

"I know. Call me later and let me know how it all goes," Rachel said. "Oh and I laid the ground turkey out like you wanted, it's in the sink."

"You're the best Rach," Brooke called as her friend grabbed the doorknob.

"I know," Rachel called over her should before exiting the apartment.

"So are you enjoying your supper?" Brooke asked as she watched Olivia chomp down on her spaghetti. It was one of the little girl's favorite meals.

"Yep, its soooo good, Mommy," Olivia told her, taking another big bite.

"Well I'm glad you like it," Brooke smiled, watching her daughter make a mess all over her face. 'It's now or never,' Brooke thought before she opened her mouth to speak once more. This didn't exactly seem like the ideal time to tell Olivia this news, but in all reality, if she kept using that excuse there never would be. "Hey baby, you like Lucas a lot, right," she asked her, not really knowing how to start the conversation.

"Yes, Mommy," Olivia answered, "I loves Lukie," she said with her eyes sparkling.

"Well what if I told you that you could see a lot more of Lucas, whenever you wanted?" Brooke asked, hoping to get a positive reaction.

"Yay!" Olivia screamed and flung spaghetti sauce and noodles on the floor in excitement. "Is we gonna go back to where Lukie lives?" She asked.

"Maybe you will sometime, baby," Brooke said.

"But what about you Mommy?" She asked, her little voice getting quieter. "I no wanna go without you."

"Okay, well how about he comes here then?" Brooke asked, hoping to stop the tantrum she could sense was brewing.

"That is better," Olivia nodded her little head.

"Liv, you know Lucas loves you, right?" Brooke asked the little girl, waiting to hear her honest response.

"Yeah Mommy, I knows," Olivia told her as if it were obvious.

"Okay, because he does. And when Lucas comes to visit, you don't have to call him just Lukie if you don't want to," she said, speaking slowly.

"But I likes Lukie," Olivia told her.

"Well okay," Brooke answered. "But I thought if you wanted to, you could call him Daddy," she said, trying not to let her voice falter on the last word because it wanted to so badly.

"Daddy?" Olivia asked curiously, "But I not have a daddy, I just have my one mommy."

"Baby," Brooke started, scooting around the table to take Olivia's tiny hand. "Lucas is your father. And he's really excited to be your daddy, if you'll have him."

Olivia looked puzzled for a moment, but then her face lit up into a big smile. "I has a mommy and a daddy now! Just like Jamie," she said, her voice sounding exciting.

"That's right. You have a Mommy and a Daddy who both love you very much," Brooke said, "And Lucas is going to come visit you tomorrow, so you can tell him how excited you are then."

"Okay. I's gonna tell him I loves him too. And I's glad I has a daddy," Olivia said, running over and hugging Brooke.

"I'm sure that will make him very happy," Brooke told her, giving Olivia a big kiss on top of her head. "I love you Livvie," she added, "But now we have got to clean your face."

As Brooke picked the little girl up from the table, Olivia said, "I loves you too Mommy." Then she buried her pasta covered face in her mom's hair.

In the three months since Brooke had told Olivia about Lucas, things had been going surprisingly well. There were tons of new adjustments for everyone. Lucas had come to stay in L.A. and was currently looking for a place to move, so he could see Olivia more and make things easier for both Brooke and himself. He hated to leave Tree Hill, but in the end, his heart was calling him to be with his family. Brooke had to adjust to time away from Olivia, which wasn't always easy, along with juggling Nate and the seemingly jealous feelings he had towards Lucas. Also, Rachel had decided to split time between L.A. and Charlotte, what with her new love with Dean blossoming and her trusting Lucas to look after her girls, she finally took Brooke's advice to follow her heart.

Olivia, on the other hand, was perfectly fine. The resilient girl her mother knew her to be totally shined through, and she was going through life as happy as a clam as if nothing had happened. She enjoyed having a mother and a father…more people to love and play with. She missed her Aunt Rachel, but she was going to be okay. She was a strong little girl, the best characteristics of both of her parents combined.

"So here she is, 5:45 as promised," Lucas said as he walked into Brooke's place to deliver Olivia.

Brooke smiled at him, "Thanks Luke," she said, then bent down to her daughter, "How was your day, Livvie?"

"It was great, Mommy," she answered her. "Daddy took me to the beach, and we even gots some ice cream!"

"Well that sounds like fun," Brooke told her, hugging the little girl to her chest tightly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. You should come next time, Mommy," Olivia suggested as she pulled away. "Right Daddy," she added, turning to Lucas.

"Right," he said with a smile, looking from Olivia's eyes to Brooke's. "We'd love to have you tag along sometime."

Brooke blushed slightly at the invitation, even though she knew it as innocent, still there was just something about Lucas that did that to her. "We'll see," she answered both of them. "It's just hard for me to get off with work and everything. Not all of us can be freelance writers," she teased standing up once more.

"This is true," Lucas agreed, pointing a finger at her. "But I better take off. I guess you two have big plans tonight," he commented more than asked.

"No, no, nothing too important," Brooke answered, watching as Olivia sat down in the living room with the picture she had been working on earlier that morning. "Nate's taking us to dinner, that's all."

Lucas fought back the urge to say something he'd regret. He wasn't very fond of Nate, and whenever he said something to Brooke it usually didn't end well. It wasn't that he didn't treat the girls well, it was just that they weren't his girls to take care of…at least not the way Lucas saw it.

"Oh, well that will be fun," he said, trying not to kill the conversation or sound too sarcastic.

"Lucas," Brooke breathed. "It will be. I don't see what you have against Nate; if you would spend some time with him you would see that he's really a good guy."

"I'm sure he is," Lucas answered. "I know you wouldn't be with him and let him be around Liv if he wasn't."

"Thank you," Brooke said with a smile. "I appreciate that. Now I had better go and get ready, he should be here any minute."

"Alright, I need to go pick up the food I ordered anyway," Lucas told her. "But for the record, you don't need to fix up. You always look amazing," he said as he left the apartment, leaving Brooke with her mouth hanging.

After her dinner with Nate, Brooke rushed home to put Olivia to bed. It was way past her bedtime and the little girl had fallen asleep in the car on the way home. Not only did she want to get Olivia to bed, but she also needed to talk to Rachel.

She tucked Olivia in, making sure to kiss her little angel goodnight, before she raced back into her room to dial Rachel's number.

"Hello," a groggy sounding man answered on the third ring.

"Rachel?" She questioned, not quite sure that was who was on the other end of the phone.

"Nah, sweetheart, it's Dean," he answered, sounding more awake. "Let me go find her."

After a few minutes of shuffling, Brooke heard her friend's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Brookie, what's going on?" Rachel asked, her voice laced with concern. "Is everything alright with Liv?"

"Yeah, yeah," Brooke quickly answered her. "Everything's fine. I just needed to talk to you."

"Awwww," Rachel said, her voice getting super squeaky. "How sweet are you?!"

"Rach, I'm serious," Brooke told her. "I am having some seriously conflicting feelings going on right now and I need you to help me sort them out. You know you are like my counselor."

"This is true," Rachel agreed. "So spill Missy, tell me everything that is going on."

Brooke took a deep breath and then began to speak, "Okay, well, ever since Lucas moved out here, he has been coming around a lot and spending a lot of time with Olivia, right?"

"Right," Rachel echoed. She had a feeling about where this was going but she decided to let Brooke go through her long process of telling her before she interjected her comments. She had learned it was usually better when you let someone come to their own conclusions.

"Well and we've been getting along really well, what with sharing responsibility for Olivia and splitting time with her," she said, still easing into her dilemma.

"Yeah, and," Rachel prodded, she was trying to be patient but Brooke really knew how to draw out a story.

"And all along the way he is always making these little comments. Comments that should mean nothing, but because they are coming from him, and the way he says them, they totally make me think he is not over the idea of us," she finally said.

"And how do you feel about that?" The redhead asked her, sounding very sophisticated.

"I-I don't know," Brooke stammered out. "I mean, I am fine with trying to be his friend. But I just don't think I can do that with Lucas. We have so much history there so much that has been said and is still unsaid. And then…" She let her voice trail off.

"And then what?" Rachel questioned again.

"And then there's Nate," Brooke sighed. "And I really care about him, I do. But like tonight, when we were at dinner, all I could think about was the things Lucas said to me when he dropped Olivia off. And how his eyes were the exact color of the blue raspberry sorbet that was for dessert, and—"

Now Rachel cut her off. "Whoa, Brookie, slow down. Sounds like you are finally catching up with the rest of the planet and realizing that you never got over Mr. Lucas Scott."

"What?" Brooke asked with a defensive laugh. "That's crazy. I mean, it has to be the fact that I am just seeing him so much, right?"

"Or the fact that you are in l-o-v-e with him," Rachel teased with a giggle.

"Rachel," Brooke snapped.

"No in all seriousness, did you ever think that maybe, just maybe when you went back to Tree Hill and Lucas made that little revelation to you, that all the feelings you have been burying so deep inside you didn't even think they still existed came back to the surface?" She asked her friend. "Why do you think the thought of him always made you so upset in the past? I'll tell you, because he wasn't just some guy you could let go of. He was the guy, Brooke. And you may hang up on me for saying this, but I think he still is."

Brooke flopped back onto her bed, taking in Rachel's words. "But how can he be, Rachel? We've been through way too much. There is no way to fix everything that has been broken between us. It's—it's just too much. It can't be like it was before."

"No, it's not," Rachel plainly told her. "Don't you see? You can't go and change the past. You can only move forward. And maybe it won't be like it was before, but you two are different people now. And it can be better."

"But, but what if I am just reading too much into everything. And what if his feelings are nothing but platonic?" She asked Rachel, gulping down the worry that was building in her throat.

"Trust me, you're not," Rachel told her. "You want to know a secret? Haley told me the other day that when Lucas moved out there it wasn't just to be with Olivia, it was to be with you too. He told her he wanted to get his girls back, and give them the family they deserved."

Brooke just sat there, silently processing all that Rachel was telling her. All this time everything she wanted was right in front of her face, she was just too stubborn to admit it.

"Brooke, you still there?" Rachel asked, after a long pause drifted through the phone.

"Yeah," she answered her. "Sorry, I was just thinking. I guess I have some things to take care of. Thanks for helping me work through all this," she added.

"You're welcome, Brooke. It's what friends are for," Rachel said, smiling into the phone.

"Well you're the best one I could ever ask for," Brooke said. "Now I've got to go call Nate. I'll talk to you tomorrow though."

"Sounds good, Bye Brookie," Rachel said then hung up the phone.

Broke did the same, laying the receiver next to her on the pillow as she bounded up to go check on Olivia. She could have sworn she heard her moving around while she was on the phone, but she dismissed the noise as she had really wanted to discuss her mix of emotions with Rachel.

Maybe she should have rethought the whole dismissing noises, because as soon as she full opened her door which had previously been cracked, she came face to face with Nate Archibald.

"Nate, what are—how long have you been here?" Brooke asked, the million questions that were running through her mind coming out a jumble.

"Just a little while," he told her. "You left this in the car," he said, holding up Brooke's purse. "I thought you might need it before tomorrow so I was just going to run it by."

"Well, thanks," Brooke told him as she took her clutch from his hand. "Nate, I'm not sure what you heard, but I think I owe you an explanation," Brooke started, she knew this was going to be one of the hardest conversations she ever had, but it was time. It was only fair.

"I think I heard plenty," Nate told her, his voice coming out calm and even. "And I just want to let you know, I'm not mad at you. Ever since we first started this relationship, I always knew there was unfinished business between you and Lucas. I guess I never thought he'd show up in your life again, though."

"Neither did I," Brooke said, her voice pleading. She felt awful for the way things were playing out with Nate.

"But he did," Nate started once more. "And I saw the spark between you two when you were together, but because I love you Brooke, and because I was selfish, I chose to ignore it. But that wasn't right. And I fought so hard to hold on to you, even doing some things I would never see myself doing. I just want to say, it was wrong of me to hold you back and try to keep you for myself, so now, I'm letting you go."

And with those words, tears began to fall down Brooke's face. She knew ending things with Nate was for the best, but that didn't make losing him hurt any less. "Thank you," Brooke forced out between sobs as she clung tightly to Nate's frame.

"No, thank you," Nate told her, as he brushed the hair back from her face. "For letting me be a part of yours and Olivia's lives. And if that Lucas cat ever hurts either one of you again, you pick up the phone and I'll be there to kick his ass in two seconds flat," he added with a chuckle.

A laugh was forced out between Brookes cries as well. "You're a great guy, Nate Archibald, and you're going to make some lucky girl very happy someday."

"Just not you," he added sadly, as Brooke shook her head in response. "I think I better go," he told her. "I'll be seeing you." And he kissed her lightly on the forehead before turning to leave.

"Bye," Brooke whispered, trying to keep any more tears that might rush out contained as she watched him go.

The next morning Brooke called into work sick, she wasn't ready to go back to a place where she would be unable to avoid Nate. That just wasn't something she wanted to deal with just yet. She was fully prepared to have a late brunch with Olivia after they slept in. That was until she heard the doorbell.

Still half delirious from crying throughout the entire night, Brooke rolled off her bed, making sure not to wake Olivia, and rushed out of her room. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she did know it was way too early for someone to be ringing the doorbell.

"I'm coming," she quietly called when she reached the door to open it. The last thing she needed was someone ringing the doorbell, then Olivia would never go back to sleep.

"Brooke, why aren't you dressed for work?" Lucas asked as Brooke pulled the door open to reveal the ragged t-shirt she was wearing.

She knew she had forgotten something, and that was to call Lucas and tell him he didn't need to watch Olivia today. "Ummm, I'm not going in today," she said, not wanting to rehash the whole Nate-breakup right now.

"Oh," Lucas said, stepping back against the kitchen counter. "Well are you doing alright?" He asked her, taking in her red-rimmed eyes and disheveled hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Brooke said, waving him off with her hand. "I just wanted to take a day to rest with Olivia. I just needed to be with her today if that is alright. I know I promised it was your time, and—"

"Brooke, its fine," he cut her off. "I understand. You seem like you're dealing with some stuff you're not quite ready to talk about. So take her, I can see her tomorrow. But just know, when you are ready to talk, I'll be ready to listen," he said as he walked over and gave her a hug.

"Thanks Luke," she told him, hugging him tighter.

"Anything for you," he responded as they pulled apart. "I'm going to take off now. But you know my number, so just call if you or Liv need anything."

"I will," Brooke promised, turning to walk to her room as Lucas opened the door.

"And Brooke," He said, turning and looking back at her, causing her to do the same.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"You look good in my shirt," he told her with a smile then he closed the door behind her. And once again he left Brooke Davis completely floored.

About a week later, Brooke was settled into her new routine with work, home, and Olivia. Of course she had told Olivia about Nate and why he hadn't been coming around, and Olivia was sad at first, but she quickly bounced back with all the love her parents showered her with. And over the course of time since the breakup, Olivia had also told Lucas about it, and he was there to comfort Brooke as well.

Brooke was determined to take Rachel's advice and move forward. She had to stop living in the past. And she had to stop being so skeptical. Just because you didn't see families reunite after years apart every day, didn't mean it couldn't happen. She needed to start thinking that maybe, she might be the exception and not the rule.

"So are my two favorite girls ready to go?" Lucas asked as he came into Brooke's apartment.

"I'm ready Daddy," Olivia called running over to him and clinging to his leg. "Mommy is taking a long time. But she looks extra pretty though," Olivia told him with a smile.

"I bet she does," Lucas told her, pulling the little girl off his leg and up into his arms. "Brooke, come on or we're going to miss the dolphin show," he teased her.

"We're not going to miss anything," Brooke argued as she emerged from the back of the apartment. Olivia had been right, she did look beautiful dressed in a red sundress and her hair pulled up in a loose side ponytail.

"Brooke, you look…" Lucas let his words trail off, taken completely in by her natural beauty.

"You looks really pretty Mommy," Olivia finished for him, jumping from Lucas's arms onto her mom.

"Thanks," she said with a big smile. "You two don't look too bad yourselves. Now we better go before we miss the dolphins and Dad starts crying or something," She added with a laugh.

Olivia laughed at her mom's words. "Yeah, we no want him to cry like a baby," she giggled.

"Haha , you girls are hysterical," Lucas said sarcastically before opening the door for the three of them. "Now hurry and go get in the car you goofs."

Brooke and Lucas had been at the aquarium with Olivia for hours, and they were now sitting outside, eating some ice cream watching while Olivia played on the playground right outside of the aquarium area. They had had an eventful day thus far, and Olivia showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

After a few minutes of watching their daughter in silence, Brooke turned to Lucas. He was staring at Olivia so intensely; you could just see the love and pride radiating from his eyes as she made it to the top of the monkey bars.

"So I wanted to thank you," Brooke began, causing Lucas's blue eyes to turn her way.

"Thank me? For what?" Lucas asked her, giving her a soft smile.

"For everything you've done for us. For today, for taking care of Olivia and checking up on me. You've done so much. You gave up your whole life in Tree Hill to move out here with me and Olivia."

"Like I said before, anything for you, Brooke Davis," he told her as he grabbed her free hand and squeezed it. "And besides, don't you know that wherever my family is, that is where my home is."

"And I just wanted to let you know I appreciate what you've done," she told him, her eyes locking on his. "And I also wanted to answer the question you asked me one of the first nights that I was back in Tree Hill. Yes, I do think we chose the right paths, because in the end, after all the trials and all the heartbreak, it still lead me back to you," she told him, her voice starting to crack with emotion as a big dimpled smile formed on her face.

Lucas's face turned into a smile that would rival hers in happiness. "You don't know how good it is to hear you say that. I love you, pretty girl. I always have."

"And I love you too, Lucas Scott," she admitted. "It's been hard for me to see at times, but the truth was it has always been there and I know it always will be."

And before she could say another word, she was silenced by Lucas's lips crashing into hers. A long awaited release that had been a long time coming.

SIX MONTHS LATER

"I'm so glad you too are back for good," Haley said as she helped Brooke unpack the boxes of dishes that were covering her empty kitchen.

"Me too," Brooke said with a smile. "And I know Olivia is super excited to be able to see Jamie whenever she wants," Brooke added as she looked out of the kitchen window at the children running around the backyard and jumping in piles of fallen leaves.

Haley looked out the window as well and laughed. "They remind me of myself and Lucas when we were that age," she commented.

"Well it's good to know that they actually stand a chance in life," Brooke laughed, "There could be worse people for our children to take after."

"Oh yeah," Haley agreed, and then she quickly returned to unpacking boxes. She was so excited to have her best friends home she couldn't get them moved in fast enough.

Just then the door burst open and in ran Olivia and Jamie, their cheeks red from running around in the cold, North Carolina air.

"Daddy's home," Olivia squealed. "Jamie saw his car!"

"Is that right?" Brooke asked, bending down to look the children in the face.

"Yep," Jamie admitted. "Uncle Lucas just pulled up in the driveway," he stated proudly.

As if on cue, Lucas opened the front door; his arms loaded down with bags of groceries.

"Daddy!" Olivia called as she rushed over to him, clinging to his leg.

Jamie did the same thing as he screamed, "Uncle Lucas!"

"Well it looks like someone is popular," Brooke commented, walking over and taking the bags from his arms so he could give the kids the attention they deserved.

"Awww, don't be jealous, I'm happy to see you," Lucas teased her as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"I bet you are," Brooke said as she walked back into the kitchen with Haley. "Look," she told her friend, "Now we can actually have something real tonight instead of another pizza. I feel like that's all I've been eating lately."

Haley laughed, "Well all you guys had to do was come over to my house. You know the three of you are always welcome."

"Thanks Hales," Brooke said, giving her friend a quick squeeze.

"Mommy," Olivia called out. "Come help us get free," she pleaded between laughs. Lucas had her and Jamie pinned to the ground and was tickling them profusely.

"I'm coming," she said, walking over to them and sitting on Lucas's back. She reached her arms around him and began to tickle his ribs, a move that always forced him to move.

"Haha!" Jamie screamed, once they were free. "We win! We win!"

"Yeah we winned, and you losed Daddy," Olivia teased and stuck her tongue out at him.

An act neither Brooke nor Lucas could help but laugh at.

Lucas sat up beside Brooke on the floor, wrapping his arm around her waist as he watched the children walk over to Haley to boast about their victory. "It's good to be home," he told Brooke as he kissed her on the head.

"Yep, it sure is," Brooke agreed as she snuggled in closer next to Lucas, thanking God for the charmed life she lived.

Okay, so I know it didn't end the way everyone wanted it to. I wish I could have felt right ending it Brooke and Nate, but I am a sucker for piecing families back together...so it had to be brucas for me. I really enjoyed writing this story and I think it is one of the better ones I have written. You all can let me know what you thought though, that is what ultimately matters. If you want some brate though, you will have to check out my new story I am currently writing...it is a OTH/GG crossover, and Brooke and Nate are my new AU love so they will def be included. I was only just discovering them when I began writing this and now I am completely obsessed! Anyways, I hope you all still enjoyed the story...even if it didn't have the ending you were hoping for! I appreciate everyone who invested their time and energy into reading and reviewing this story. That is what really makes the process worthwhile! You guys are the best! :)

Audra