"Tulips or lilies?" Brooke squealed up at her assistant and good friend, Millicent. "I don't care! They are just friends."
Brooke was planning Julian's funeral with the help of all of her family and friends.
"Just take a deep breath, Brooke!" Millicent sat down on the couch next to her boss, "Everything is going to be alright. We'll just have both tulips and lilies at the reception."
Brooke melted into Millicent's thin arms, "It's just so frustrating, Millie!"
"I know you just want everything to be perfect for your husband's final goodbye." Millicent said in a calming tone as she gently rubbed Brooke's back.
"Why has my mother damned me with this perfectionist gene?" Brooke playfully whined.
"Don't you know it is because we were built to be perfect!" Victoria Davis answered her daughter, "No matter the circumstance we are going to be perfect."
Brooke pulled herself off of the couch, "Mom!" She gave her mother a tight squeeze as they two women hugged. "Where is daddy?"
"He will be here later tonight!" Victoria smiled brightly at her daughter.
"Well I'm glad one of us is still happily married!" Brooke pouted.
It had been weird for Brooke to see her parents get remarried and finally be happy with one another but over the years it melted her heart to see them so truly happy together.
"Well you won't stay single for too long! Not when you're looking like that." Victoria took her daughter by the hand and twirled her around, "Tragedy looks good on you."
"Mom!" Brooke squealed as she was forced to turn.
"What?" Victoria brushed a few loose strands of hair from her daughter's face, "It's the truth!"
"She is right though Brooke!" Lucas walked into the living room. "You look amazing."
Brooke had offered Lucas and Sawyer a place to stay during their visit back to Tree Hill for Julian's funeral. They stayed in Brooke's guest rooms on the opposite side of the home from Brooke and her twin boys.
Brooke's pink cheeks suddenly began to burn, "Okay so steak or chicken?" She changed the subject away from her bright red cheeks.
"Steak." Lucas answered with a nod of his head, "How are you doing?" He held his arms out wide to hug her.
"I'm doing better!" Brooke stepped slowly into his arms, "It seems to be getting better every day."
"Mama!" Jude and Davis came darting down the spiral staircase.
Brooke sighed heavily, "They make it impossible to take a second to just breathe."
"Mama!" Jude and Davis ran in a circle around their mother and their Uncle Lucas.
Brooke laughed and grabbed both twins by the hand to stop them from running, "What is it?" She kneeled down in front of her twin boys.
"We just wanted to say good morning!" Jude wrapped his arms around his mother.
Brooke couldn't help but smile at her son's affection, "Thank you sweetie!" She pulled Davis into the hug, "Good morning."
"Good morning mama!" The twins said in unison. "Good morning Uncle Lucas and Grandma."
Lucas stepped back and watched the scene take place in front of him. Brooke was surrounded by so much love and it all started with her twins.
"Good morning!" He held his hands out for high fives from the twins.
Each twin gave his hand a gentle hit.
"Can we have pancakes and eggs for breakfast?" Davis asked his mother.
"Already got that one covered!" Jamie walked into the large white home with hands full of food. His mother, little sister, and father followed behind him and each of them had food in their hands from the cafe.
"Did someone say pancakes?" Nathan Scott called out from behind his tall son.
"Nathan!" Brooke squealed at the sight of her friend.
Nathan sat down the bags of food on Brooke's kitchen counter before turning and picking her up into a tight hug. "Hey ! How are you doing?"
Brooke and Nathan had grown close again after Nathan had finally accepted Julian as a best friend.
"I'm doing better!" Brooke planted a kiss upon his cheek, "I'm glad you're finally back from Europe."
Nathan sat Brooke down onto her two feet, holding her shoulders to make sure she was steady before he let her go. "I'm glad you're doing better!"
"I know I saw my baby girl walk in!" Brooke turned on her heel and opened her arms wide for her niece, Lydia Bob Scott.
"Hey Aunt Brooke!" The eleven year old girl ran into her aunt's arm. "I missed you!"
Lydia had been visiting her Aunt Quinn while her Uncle Clay was off on business with her father, Nathan.
"Did you have fun at the beach?" Brooke asked the small blond girl.
Lydia smiled widely and nodded once, "I'm sorry about Uncle Julian! I really liked him."
Brooke laughed and hugged Lydia again, "I'm sorry too! I'm gonna miss him but he wants us all to be happy while he is gone. Are you gonna be happy for your Uncle Julian?"
"I will!" Lydia smiled and ran around her aunt to greet her cousins, Jude and Davis.
"Why don't you guys go eat some breakfast?" Haley shooed the children off into the kitchen with her son, Jamie.
Brooke stood up from her kneeling position, "I'm not that hungry!" She plopped down onto her couch.
"Brooke, you gotta eat something!" Haley sat down on the couch beside her best friend.
"But I'm not hungry, Hales!" Brooke whined into one of the couch pillows.
"But the food is good, I promise!" Karen, Lucas' mother, walked into the living room with her daughter and husband in tow.
Brooke's head popped up from the pillow when she heard the familiar voice. "Karen?" She squealed at the sight of the older woman, "Oh my word! What are you doing here?"
Karen hugged Brooke, "I had to come! I couldn't pass up the chance to see you and tell you how sorry I am about Julian's passing!"
"Besides we were in the neighborhood!" Andy added with a laugh.
After Brooke cared for Lucas in the hospital Karen and Brooke grew close. They kept in contact after Karen left the country with her daughter to be with Andy in Australia.
"Hey Andy!" Brooke remained in her prolonged hug with Karen, "Lily?" She squealed at the sight of the now young woman.
Lucas had his arm wrapped around his little sister. "She has gotten pretty big, right?"
"Big?" Lily turned to her big brother, "I'm twenty-one years old now, Luke! That is a little more than getting big."
Karen went to hug her son and Brooke went to hug Lily.
"It's nice to see you again!" Brooke whispered to Lily.
"I'm sorry about Julian; although, I never got the chance to actually meet him my mom spoke so highly of him!" Lily squeezed Brooke. "You'll be okay!"
Brooke pulled away from her embrace with Lily, "I know I'll be alright but I just wish that being alright part would get here already."
"Well eating something will start the process for you to start feeling better!" Karen linked arms with Brooke and led her into the kitchen where Jude, Davis, and Lydia were sitting at the dining room table together.
"I guess I can have a little bit of eggs!" Brooke sighed lightly, "It won't hurt anything if I do."
Andy pulled his stepson aside. "Hey, how you holding up?"
Lucas gave his shoulders a stiff shrug, "I'm doing pretty well! I'm just worried about Brooke." He ran his fingers through his long brown hair.
Andy placed his hand on Lucas' shoulder, "You look pretty rough man!"
Lucas frowned and looked down at his flannel pajama pants and gray V-neck, "I do?"
Andy laughed, "Yeah! How about you get a haircut before the funeral gets here?"
Lucas touched his long hair, "You really think I need one?"
"Oh yes!" Nathan jumped into the conversation, "You need a haircut pretty badly." He left the conversation and walked into the kitchen to eat some breakfast.
"It'll make Brooke happy I'm sure." Andy said before he followed Nathan into the full kitchen.
"Well I'd do anything for Brooke." Lucas ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "Anything for Brooke." He repeated to himself as he entered the kitchen.
The adults were gathered around the countertops fixing their plates while the kids were sitting down at the large dining table. Karen and Brooke were sitting together at the end of the long wooden table talking and eating.
The sight of his mother caring after Brooke like a daughter in law made Lucas happy.
"This is the life you could have had if you would have just listened to me!" Jamie whispered into his uncle's ear.
"What?" Lucas turned to his nephew.
"Don't pretend as if you don't remember!" Jamie pushed a piece of bacon into his mouth, "Before the wedding to Peyton I asked if you ever loved Aunt Brooke and why you weren't marrying her instead."
Lucas shook his head, "You were just a boy back then of course I wasn't going to listen to you."
Jamie nodded toward his grandmother and his aunt, "But you have to admit that I was right!" He went and took a seat next to his cousin, Lily, at the dining table.
"You were right!" Lucas thought to himself as he watched Brooke with his mother.
Haley waved her hand in her best friend's face, "Earth to Lucas Eugene Scott!"
He snapped out of his own thoughts, "What happened?"
"You mean other than you staring at Brooke for the past five minutes?" Haley took a sip of her orange juice. "Is being back in Tree Hill bringing back old memories for you?"
Lucas gave his head a solid nod, "Everywhere I look I'm thinking back about something different."
Haley wrapped her arm around Lucas' shoulder, "I know what you mean! Everything is just so different and so much more complicated than when we were in high school."
"Life was so easy back then." Lucas locked eyes with Brooke from across the room. "Sometimes just I wish we could just go back!"
"Would you change anything?" Haley asked.
Lucas kept his eyes glued to Brooke's deep brown eyes, "I would change everything!"
"I wouldn't change anything." Haley left Lucas' side and took a seat next to her husband at the now crowded dining room table.
Lucas took a deep breath before joining his family and friends at the large dining room table.
"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie called down the table to his uncle. "We are trying to clear this up so help us please! Didn't Aunt Brooke hate you at one point in time?"
Lucas almost spat out the orange juice he had been sipping on. "You hated me?" He playfully pouted at Brooke.
"I never hated you!" Brooke pulled him into her arms.
"Oh but that isn't what you told me Aunt Brooke!" Jamie pointed his finger at his aunt. "Remember?"
Lucas looked up at Brooke, "You really hated me?"
"I didn't hate you but I didn't like seeing you!" Brooke finally admitted with a laugh full of confusion. "It was after Haley and Nathan got married for the second time." She whispered into his ear.
Lucas' playful pout turned into a real pout at the painful memory of Nathan and Haley's wedding reception. That had been the end of Lucas and Brooke after she found out that he'd kissed her best friend, Peyton.
"Have I ever apologized for that day?" Lucas whispered.
Brooke laughed and nodded, "Only a billion and one times! We've both moved on from that…" She looked up at her god son, "Unlike our lovely nephew over there!"
Jamie threw his hands in the air, "I only asked because Sawyer wanted to know!"
Sawyer gasped loudly and went to hit her cousin but accidentally flung her eggs in his directions.
"Sawyer Brooke!" Lucas sat up in his chair.
Brooke touched his arm and shook her head, "This could turn out to be fun!" She rubbed her cold grits onto the tip of his nose.
Lucas laughed and looked down at the thick white grains sitting on the tip of his nose. "Oh I see!" He pretended as if he was going throw his eggs at Brooke but he turned and flung them at his nephew.
"What was that for?" Jamie began to load his spoon with eggs to fling back at his uncle.
"For starting this mess!" Lucas tossed a biscuit at his nephew.
Brooke couldn't help but laugh when the biscuit hit Nathan in the head instead of Jamie. Nathan looked up from eating his plateful of bacon.
"Oh that is it!" Nathan loaded his grits and flung them at his brother.
Everyone began to fling leftovers from their breakfast at one another. The food fight had Brooke laughing for the first time since her husband's passing. She felt lightness in her attitude and her entire being as she watched her family and friends playfully fight one another with their food.
Her laughter came to a stop when someone threw a biscuit and it hit her in the forehead. The dining room fell silent as everyone waited for Brooke's reaction.
"Oh it is so on now!" Brooke picked up the biscuit and tossed it at her best friend, Haley, but the biscuit flew past Haley's head and landed at the feet of her old friend, Peyton Sawyer.
"This looks like so much fun." Peyton stepped over the biscuit that had been thrown at her feet. "Mind if I join?" She pursed together her thin pink lips.
Brooke gasped and ran over to her best friend, " !" She took her best friend into a tight hug.
"Hey !" Peyton hugged her friend, "I'm so sorry about Julian. I just found out!"
"It's okay! I'm going to be fine." Brooke sighed lightly, "I'm just so happy you're here."
The atmosphere changed as Peyton and Brooke turned back to the messy dining room.
"Mama!" Sawyer jumped up from her chair and ran to greet her mother.
Peyton hesitated to hug her messy daughter, "Hey sweetie!"
Brooke tried to ignore the tension in the air between Peyton and Lucas. "I guess the food fight is over now!" She laughed as she took in the mess covering the wooden table and floor of the dining room.
"I'll get a mop!" Karen got up from the table.
"Don't worry about any of it! We'll clean it all up for you." Haley joined Karen in Brooke's pantry to help find the cleaning supplies.
"Davis and Jude go upstairs and take a bath. Jamie can you go help them clean off!" Brooke pleaded with the young man.
"Anything for you Aunt Brooke!" Jamie hugged his aunt, "You look good Peyton." He turned and disappeared up the stairs with Jude and Davis.
Lucas remained seated at the table with Nathan, Lily, and Andy.
Lily fidgeted at the tension so she decided to go help her mother and aunt clean. "I can sweep!" She offered.
"I have to make a phone call." Andy pulled out his phone from his coat pocket and headed outside.
Peyton and Brooke together stared at Lucas.
"I didn't know you were coming back to Tree Hill." Lucas finally spoke to his soon to be ex-wife.
Peyton kneeled down to their daughter, "Go upstairs and get cleaned off with your cousins!" She shooed her daughter out of the room.
Sawyer peeled a piece of dried grits from her forearms, "Okay mama!" She ran upstairs to be with her cousins.
"I didn't know I was coming until I got the voicemail from Haley about Julian being in the hospital." Peyton explained, "I didn't come to start drama, I swear! I just came to support my friend." She wrapped her arms around Brooke.
Lucas let out a heavy sigh, "I don't mind you being here. We both care for Brooke equally so I understand!"
Brooke smiled, "Well I'm glad you two can be adults about the whole thing!" She joked, "Now let's clean up all of this mess."
Lucas shook his head and took Brooke's hands into his own, pulling her away from Peyton's hold. "I want you to go clean off and relax while we all clean up down here."
"Are you sure?" Brooke eyed the mess again, "I don't mind cleaning up!"
"Brooke, go relax and let us take care of you!" Peyton spoke up.
"Alright!" Brooke smiled and disappeared up the stairs.
Peyton and Lucas watched as Brooke made her way up the stairs and when they heard Brooke's bedroom door close they turned to one another.
"You still love her." Peyton commented.
"What?" Lucas looked over at his ex.
Peyton laughed and looked down at her black pumps, "The way you look at her! You never looked at me that way! You still love her but this time I actually don't mind. I'm happy for you!" She smiled reassuringly, "You need to tell her how you feel."